The Long Way Home
by 1Pagan3
Summary: AU. Dean makes a decision to force his Dad to become the father his brother needs, but when he finds out how badly his plan backfires, it's going to take everything he has with the help of his friends to bring Sammy home. !Crazy John!
1. Chapter 1

AN: This one's a little out of my norm, but was told I should go for it anyway. Thanks as usual to Sammygirl1967, if not for her this would not be posted... Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kripke's, the CW, or Warner Bros. however should they ever like to share, I'm all ears... or eyes... whatever!

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Dean couldn't believe it, he had actually done it, he had made them think he was something he wasn't and there was no going back now. Not that he had a place to go anymore anyway. He'd hashed that out with his dad weeks ago, told his little brother not to worry and walked away. Sure, his heart was breaking, but it was really for the best. Without him around, then dad would have to change, would have to be the real father that Sammy needed, not the hard ass that he'd become. Yes, this was definitely for the best. Three weeks ago he was the sixteen year old son of John Winchester; today he was the eighteen year old Private Dean Winchester, Marine.

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"_Dean, DEAN! WAKE UP!" he heard someone yelling, but all he really wanted to do was sleep. They had been tracking a Rawhead for most of the night, and the night before that, and the night before… jeez, when was the last time he got a decent night's sleep? Feeling his little brother shake his shoulder, Dean cracked open one eye to look blearily at the excited face above him. "Hmmm?" he mumbled, trying to make the point that it was __way__ too early to get up._

"_Dean, hurry up! You have to open you're present before Dad wakes up." Sammy whispered, trying to get his big brother to open his present. "Deeeeannn!"_

'_Present?What the…?' looking up at his brother, Dean wanted to put the pieces together, but it was… 3:45 am? "Christ, Sammy! What the hell? I'm trying to sleep here…" he whispered harshly, but stopped short when he saw the look on Sammy's face and the package that was wrapped in comic book pages in his hands. 'Ok, Sammy up before Dad with a wrapped present…ah, now it makes sense.'_

_Sitting up and making room for his brother to sit by him, Dean listened to make sure that there was no movement from the other room. When he felt that the coast was clear, he smiled and held out his hands for his gift. He couldn't help but smile when his little brother started jumping up and down on the bed as he opened his present. He knew that he would have to be quick since he knew that their dad would be up in less than fifteen minutes. He noticed that it was Sammy's Batman comic book that had been sacrificed, and he didn't know if he was honored, or saddened by the gesture; but he knew that his Sammy would do anything to make him happy. Looking up at his brother, he had no idea what was in the box, and wondered how the other boy had pulled this off. Shaking his head, he knew he was wasting time and took a deep breath and opened the box, not fully understanding what he was seeing._

"_Happy 16__th__ Birthday, Dean!" Sammy said happily as he watched his big brother look at the cardboard shoe box full of brand new tapes of all his favorite groups._

_Anything that Dean was going to say was cut short with the sound of movement in the next room. Eyes wide, they both looked at each other before Sammy jumped back to his own bed and threw the blanket over his head just as the door swung open._

"_Get up! You have fifteen minutes to get ready for breakfast – move it!"_

_As they watched their Dad walk out of the room, Dean looked over at his eleven year old little brother and snarked, "Fifteen minutes today Sammy, see it's a great birthday already!"_

Dean woke listening to the night around him, he knew that he should call Pastor Jim and check to see if he had heard from his family yet, but he knew that Jim would find a way to let him know as soon as he'd heard anything. Paranoid, that's what he was; it was just a case of extreme paranoia that had him wondering where they were and what they were hunting; or if they were even…

Shaking his head to clear his head of those disturbing images, he prepared himself for what he knew was about to happen. Not even a minute later, the lights came on and the shouting started. Yep, today was a bright new day in boot camp.

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"Are you sure you haven't heard from them Jim? What about Bobby, or Caleb… oh, Joshua should know since Dad buys ammo from him." Dean said as he was waving someone away from the phone.

Jim's voice came over the line and sounded as sad as Dean felt about the subject. "I'm sorry Dean, but as I've told you before, no one has seen them since they left here. We've all heard rumors of where they were but…" Jim's voice drifted a moment, and Dean thought that the connection had been dropped.

"Jim? Jim! Hey, you still with me?"

"Yes Dean, I'm sorry son, but I just got the morning mail and …"

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing, he was worried that his dad and little brother were dead, and the priest was worried about mail? Unbelievable!

"Dean, Sam sent a postcard! It's here!" Jim said trying to alleviate Dean's worries. Of course getting a postcard wasn't what he had been hoping for, but then again 'Beggars can't be choosers.'

Shocked, Dean couldn't speak for a moment. "A postcard? That's it? Six months and all we get is a postcard? What the hell, Jim?"

Jim knew how Dean felt, he and others had been praying for something… anything to let them know that the rumors that they had been hearing were wrong; that Sam was safe, and that John hadn't taken a turn for the worse.

"So, what does our favorite geekboy have to say?" Dean joked, knowing that even though his little brother wasn't even a teenager yet, had a bigger vocabulary than most of his teachers in High School. When he didn't get a response, his protective instincts jumped up another notch, and he wanted to jump on the next flight and find out what was going on.

"Dean, it's just a postcard of the Florida Everglades addressed to you in care of me with the message 'Love, Sammy', that's all Dean." Jim said quietly feeling the pain from the other man, knowing that he was feeling his own anguish in the knowledge that something had to be wrong, _their_ Sam would have filled up the whole postcard with little bits of silly things that had happened along the way. _This_ Sam was quiet, and it had both men worried.

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Joseph Miller, Taylor Woods, and Stephen Chatten watched as their friend stormed across the street. They used to tease Dean about his temper, until they actually saw it unleashed, then it quickly became an unwritten rule that no one messed with him when he was already in a bad mood. They'd been friends for three years, ever since basic training and they had always thought they knew everything about everyone in their group. However, the way Dean was acting was making the rest of them itch.

"Damnit, we just missed them by a couple of days." Dean fumed, wondering what was going on. He looked at his friends and knew they thought he was loosing his mind. Something had to give, either he explained it all and risk them report him for a psych evaluation, or they were going to end up wasting what was left of there leave. "Get in, we need to try something different." He told them as he got in the driver's seat of the rental car.

Looking at each other, the Three Musketeer's followed Dean's lead and got back in the car, waiting for him to say something else. It took a few minutes before he turned down the radio and started explaining the missing pieces of Dean Winchester.

By the time they pulled into a rectory in Blue Earth, Minnesota, the car was quiet and the occupants had no idea how they should respond. They had never known Dean to lie, and what's more they all trusted him with the lives of their families as well as their own. As they sat there, no one wanted to break the silence. They knew that Dean was thinking of his little brother, and after three years of not hearing a word from the boy, on top of what they just heard; his fears were justified. Now they understood why any shore leave and vacations had been back in the states looking for his brother.

Taylor looked up at the small house and wondered who lived there, but was cut off when three men came up the sides of the vehicle and tapped on the windows. "Bobby!" Dean exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking around and seeing that Caleb and Joshua were there as well.

Bobby looked at Dean and smiled, he'd only seen the boy twice since he went off and joined the Marines, and he couldn't help but admire the man that stood before him now. Looking at Caleb he realized that he was prompted to get to the point. "Uh, Dean. Look, we really need to talk, but…"

"Don't worry, they can be trusted, I already told them. Now what's got you so hot and bothered?" Dean joked, knowing that Bobby was the straight forward type, and if he was hesitating, it had to be big.

Caleb had been watching the men that Dean came with and could only see the camaraderie and loyalty that they had for each other. He knew that he couldn't see them, but that didn't mean that there weren't three guns pointed at them at the moment. Not liking how slowly the conversation was going he quickly jumped in. "Jim thinks he got a legit lead, if you really think these goons of yours can be trusted then bring them."

Dean watched Caleb walk off with Joshua close behind, and the only thing that penetrated his brain was _Jim thinks he got a legit lead _after all this time, and they might actually be close enough to find out what's going on. Leading his friends into the house, he bypassed the kitchen, walked through the living room and opened a door that looked suspiciously like a closet and down dark steps to another door. He didn't bother looking to see if his friends were following, he just knew they were there. Knocking on the door, he waited until Jim opened the door.

"Dean! How good to see you, I thought you were a day away. Come in." Jim pulled Dean into the room and allowed the three remaining men access as well. When Dean started to walk to the rest of the group, Jim stopped him and looked somber as he spoke. "Son, we think we have a lead, but you have to know…" Jim paused, how was he supposed to tell Dean that they had been hiding things from him, that the sporadic information that they had been getting did not show the situation in a good light. "Dean, you're about to see some things that are disturbing, but I want you to know that we've been doing everything we can to find them and bring your brother home."

Looking at his father's friend, Dean had to wonder about that statement; looking at his friends he could tell that they were wondering the same thing. "Uh, excuse me… what about his Dad? Aren't you worried about him too?" Stephen asked, more than a little confused that the close nit group that Dean had talked to them about and the reaction that these men seemed to have weren't jiving.

Joshua looked up from a stack of papers and called out. "Dean, you remember the argument you had with you're Dad before you left?"

Groaning, Dean nodded wondering what that had to do with anything. "Yeah, how can I forget? He almost got Sammy killed, then blamed him for it."

"_Damn it Sammy! I taught you better than this!" John yelled at his youngest while trying hard to stop the bleeding. 'Fuck, we can't go to the hospital, Protective Services are looking for the boys as it is.'_

_Dean had just skidded to a stop in front of his Dad and brother with more blankets and towels. Looking down, he had to wonder how his little brother could still be conscious much less taking the brow beating that their Dad was insisting on dishing out._

"_Sorry Sir, I just wasn't fast enough." Sammy said quietly trying to block the pain from not only his head wound, but the slash marks from the Rawhead. Being tossed into a wall head first was bad enough, but apparently this monster had claws and wasn't shy about using them._

_John was furious, he'd told his son to duck, instead the boy moved to the left; not only blocking his shot, but putting him in reaching distance. "You should have listened and dropped, not disobey a direct order. Damn it! Dean, we need to get him back to the motel and stitch him up. What are you waiting for… MOVE!"_

_Shocked didn't even begin to cover how Dean felt. Sammy was bleeding all over the place and all their Dad could do was bark out orders and demand action. Shaking his head, he did as he was told until he heard the next remark._

"… _kid could have gotten us all killed. Should have let CPS take him a long time ago."_

"_Wait a minute! It was your plan that brought us here in the first place, your plan to use Sammy as bait, your stupid move to tell your eleven year old son to drop when he was in a puddle of water so you could play hero and kill the Rawhead with a stun gun. I'm seeing a pattern here Dad… YOU! You knew that other hunters had been trying to get this thing but it broke pattern, you're the one who didn't want backup. Now you're blaming SAMMY? You have got to be kidding! Do you even realize that if he obeyed that order, he'd be dead? Do you even care?" he was yelling, he had never even raised his voice to his Dad before, but this was serious. _

_John looked at his oldest and for the moment forgot all about the boy lying on the floor in pain and bleeding from his multiple wounds. "You have no right to judge my decisions. NONE! I kept the two of you with me, so our family didn't get more screwed up than it already had, I didn't have to do that; there were plenty of people willing to take you both in and raise you, but I kept you safe. So don't stand there and tell me I screwed up! You have no say so in this"_

"_So I can hustle pool, play poker, lie, cheat and steal for you, but I can't have a say in how things are done? That's bullshit Dad, and you know it!" he was going to say more, but reason took over, and he remembered why they were fighting in the first place. "Damn, Sammy! I'm sorry!" he said, quickly picking his brother up in his arms and racing to the Impala not caring if he was being followed or not. He may not have the keys, but he could hotwire a car as well as anyone._

Caleb stood there and nodded his head, "Yeah, I can't say that I blamed you for that. When I found out what he did I wanted to string him up myself. Some sixteenth birthday, huh kid?"

Cringing slightly, he glanced back at the three guys that he'd considered friends and knew that they had caught on, but for whatever reason didn't call him on it… yet. "So, what does that have to do with anything?" he asked, hoping to get the subject back on track and not on his lying about his age.

"After you left, I ran into your Dad and Sam. I didn't think too much about it at first to be honest, it's not the first time that our paths have crossed on the way to a hunt. It was the first time however that I knew that he left you're brother alone while he went out and got wasted." Joshua said as he motioned for the others to join him. "Dean, he was furious about you leaving, but he promised that he wouldn't abandon Sam. In fact his exact words were 'I won't make the same mistake that I made with Dean', so I thought that maybe your idea worked. Damn, Dean… I could have stopped this sooner. I'm so sorry." Joshua said as he turned and uncovered a portion of the wall that had a map of North America with colored pins attached, notes to the sides, pictures of what looked to be a child from various agencies as well as notes, emails and postcards.

Dean looked at everything before he realized something; the pictures were of Sammy. "Oh my God! Sammy! What the hell? How did this happen?" he asked looking at each men in turn. What he saw didn't help, what he saw was despair. "Somebody better talk to me! Did Dad do this? WELL? DID HE?"

Bobby knew that Dean was reaching critical mass and by the look of the men behind him they knew it too. Trying to defuse the situation, he quickly interceded. "No, not all of it anyway. Most of their trail we've been able to pick up on because of medical, police, and even some CPS records. Otherwise, they've been staying off the radar. We can usually match one of the appearances with a hunt in the general area, but there have been a few…"

Dean was shaking at this point, his whole reason for leaving had blown up in his face, and he hadn't been told about any of it. Looking at one of the latest pictures on the wall, a picture taken almost a year ago of a kid with hair cropped too close to the scalp. Not a single spot was free from either a bruise or a cut, or both. Looking at the note beside it, he saw that there had been a Wendigo in the area, that Sammy had been in critical condition when he was brought in and as soon as Protective Services were called, he disappeared in the night. "So, this was the last time anyone saw him?" he asked, worried more now than he had been before. He was also angry that his 'friends' hadn't told him what had really been going on, letting him investigate 'possible sightings' whenever he had time off from the Corps. He wouldn't let his anger get the better of him, he'd wait until he got his hands on his father, then he'd unleash it; let John know what it felt like to be a punching bag.

"Yeah, that's the latest one until now. A waitress I know called; said that she saw a Chevy Impala with a big guy and a scrawny kid drive through town and stop at a motel. We were about to head over there to see if we can catch them. We haven't seen any signs of a hunt, so they probably won't be there long." Caleb said calmly as he loaded his bag with weapons and hoisted it on his shoulder.

Nodding, Dean lead the way out and back to the car, as soon as he reached the rental he stopped and turned back to his buddies. "Look, I appreciate you guys taking this time to come with me this far, but you already had plans so why don't you take the car back and…"

Taylor stopped Dean in mid sentence "No way bro… we're here together, and that's how we'll leave. We've never left each other no matter what, we won't start now." The rest of the guys looked at Dean like he was crazy then got in the car. Stephen rolled down the window, "Well Winchester… Mush!"

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AN: Well, what did you think? Let me know! 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hope you're still hanging in there with me

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Dean had just got into the driver's seat when Caleb walked over. "You've got Jim's cell number, right?" he asked, already knowing the answer. He also knew that ninety percent of calls that Dean used his cell phone for was to try to find Sammy. "Ok, there's a diner on the outskirts of town, close to where some forgotten cabins are hidden; we think they might be in one of them, but we're not sure. If we get separated, call." He was on his way to Bobby's truck when Dean called out.

"Hey! Why would they come here and not let anyone know?" he asked, trying hard to wrap his head around the situation, but coming up blank.

Motioning to Bobby that he was riding with Dean, he got in the back seat, making it an even tighter fit than before. "Follow Bobby, and I'll fill you in." he said and watched as Dean looked at his friends then put the car in gear. "Dean, you're dad went around the bend quite awhile back from what we can tell. No one would hear from him then all of a sudden there he was taking down a nasty spirit, or some creature that other hunters had been trying to get a handle on. It was always the same, no contact then a sudden appearance, take down the nasty baddie, disappear again. Hell, we weren't even sure at first it was him until one of the newer hunters made the mistake of getting in the way. Your dad went off on him and nearly killed the kid before Sammy showed up and convinced him the guy wasn't worth the effort."

Dean looked at Caleb in the rear view mirror not liking what he was hearing. "Wait, you're telling me that not only did he continue hunting and took it up a notch, but he was dragging Sammy with him too?"

Nodding, Caleb knew what had driven Dean to leave in the first place, as long as he was there he would always be Sammy protector and father figure as well as his brother and best friend. The kid had truly thought that if John had to really deal with Sammy one on one then he'd realize that the family motto of 'Sammy comes first' also went for the patriarch of the family. Too bad it didn't work that way. "I know Dean, it doesn't make sense to any of us either. What we know is that John took a turn for the worse, his obsession with finding your Mom's killer took on a whole new meaning after you left." When he saw Dean shoot him a questioning look he sighed. "Kid, I don't know how to tell you this, but from the people that we've talked to and the picture that we've been able to piece together… Dean, we're pretty sure that Sammy thinks your dead."

"WHAT!" Dean exclaimed and took his attention off the road to turn to Caleb. Stephen who was in the passenger seat quickly reached over and grabbed the wheel making sure that Dean didn't run them into a ditch before he turned back around. Pulling his attention back to the task at hand he asked quietly. "How?"

"We're not sure. Bobby was about a week behind them awhile back and he asked a bartender at this little hole in the wall place, that you and I together would hesitate to go in, if he'd seen them. The guy didn't even hesitate, said that he'd seen them both and that Sammy seemed upset about something so he sent one of his girls over to 'help the kid lighten up', she came back a few minutes later and said to leave him alone his brother died and he didn't want to be bothered. John however was having a great time hustling a game of pool and starting a fight…" he wasn't about to tell Dean that the bartender also mentioned that John had cheated, causing the fight and brought half the bar down on both him and Sammy's head that night. From the description, he was surprised they survived.

Dean knew that something else happened, and he had a feeling he knew what it was, but he prayed he was wrong. He would have asked for more, but they had pulled into the diner and Bobby was already out of the truck. Caleb patted him on the shoulder before getting out of the small car then walked up to Bobby to let him know what was discussed. Looking back at the rest of the guys in the car he joked "So, you guys still think you're dysfunctional?"

Joseph wasn't fooled, he'd seen his friend crack jokes while they were prying a bullet out of his leg under fire, so hearing him trying to make light of the situation told them all more than anything; Dean was more than worried, he was scared for his little brother. Clasping his friend on the shoulder, he motioned that they should join the others before they got left out of this Search and Rescue.

Joshua had known Dean since he was a five year old kid who's only true happiness came from his little brother, now he watched the man he had become exit a car and make his presence known just by his existence. Watching the group make their way towards them, he could tell that they had seen action together and that their lives had been in each others hands. He knew that if _he_ was impressed with what he saw, the people in the diner had to be struck stupid. Curiosity got the better of him and he turned to look in the window seeing several people do a double take and the waitress staring in awe. Smirking, he looked back at Dean, "Ok Casanova, why don't you and Caleb go do your thing."

Stephen laughed "Yeah runt, do what you're best at." When Dean looked at him puzzled, Stephen laughed some more. "What, you thought we forgot about you being the baby of the family?"

Groaning, Dean walked off knowing that he was going to get ribbed big time for that. 'Oh well, at least they're not mad.' He thought, knowing that it could have gone a whole other direction. As he and Caleb walked in the diner he noticed that several people were staring, and for what he needed, he didn't mind it one bit. Walking with Caleb to the counter, they waited for the waitress to come over.

"Hey Cal, it's been awhile. Who's your friend?" she asked while setting down two coffees watching Dean the entire time.

"Tracy, this is Dean. He's the one with a missing brother. Do you remember what you told me?" he asked, knowing that Tracy might have that 'I'm a dumb blonde' air about her, but he knew for a fact that it was just an act to make the customers tip more.

Her smile suddenly gone, she whipped around and yelled for the cook. "Jake! They're here, I need you out here now!"

It didn't take long for a burly man to rush into the diner and look straight at Dean and Caleb, making both men jump up from the counter. Jake looked at both men and quickly said, "Look, I know that they're your family and all, but the kid looks in bad shape. I normally wouldn't get involved, I have a record and any trouble I go back, but you need to get him away from his dad… the man's crazy." Jake said, pointing to a bandaged shoulder. "All I did was offer to take the kid to the doctor last night, and he went off and stabbed me." Jake didn't want to tell the kid's brother everything that had been said, he was trying very hard to forget that as it was. He could tell that the men in front of him as well as their friends outside were close and was about to offer up the location that he was sure the kid was staying in when there was a sound from the back of the diner and the sound of a door squeaking open in a hurry.

Not liking the sound of that, Caleb motioned through the window to the others and followed Dean in a full run through the back door to see a dark figure disappear into the tree line. Not hesitating, Dean raced after the man who he instinctively knew was his dad. He barely heard the cook yell directions to the cabin as he concentrated on keeping his footing in the wooded and uneven terrain. Normally he'd be a lot quieter while chasing after his prey, but something deep down told him that if they lost his dad now, they'd lose their chance to find Sammy too. Knowing that his friends were closing the distance behind him, he took a chance and cut diagonally hoping to be able to cut in front of the running man. It didn't take long for him to see the cabin up ahead, and he made the mistake of getting his hopes up that today was the day he'd get his brother back. Then he heard the deep yell of his father as they approached the cabin.

"Jackrabbit!" John yelled, knowing that he probably sounded insane, but he needed to get rid of these guys before they caught on to what he was really doing. Running up to the cabin's back door, he banged on it twice as he dodged past and back up the hill. Taking a chance to glance back, he saw the hesitation in a couple of the men, and took full advantage of it; running and dodging through the trees to keep them thinking that he had abandoned the site.

Dean stopped, trying to figure out if it was a setup. He saw his dad give some sort of signal and then take off in a whole other direction, whether acting as a decoy or not he didn't know. Caleb and Bobby went to search the cabin, so Dean and the others took off again, picking up John's trail easily. Since none of them knew exactly where the other man was going, they had no choice but to follow step by step, and it didn't take long to see that he was leading them on a wild goose chase. They all were about to follow the trail further up the hill when Taylor got a glimpse of something in the trees.

"Hey! Take a look!" he said quietly, getting everyone's attention and bringing them all together, standing where they were, it was hard to see what had grabbed his interest, but upon a closer look, they saw another cabin tucked further into the trees and looking more run down than the last one. As they edged closer to the structure, they could hear voices muffled at first, but as the wind changed, the conversation became clearer.

"I said move it boy, they're right on my ass! I don't know what you told them, but I'll make sure you don't do it again!" John yelled as he tossed things around inside the cabin.

Dean heard a muffled yell and was about to charge inside, when Jim put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, motioning that they needed to get closer.

"Who Dad?" came the quiet question, spoken so low that the others were only able to hear because they were hoping for some sort of sign that he was there.

"Demons, nasty ones by the looks of them. We have to go, stick to the plan and we'll be fine. Deviate from it and we're both dead." John growled out, wanting to make absolutely sure that his son didn't screw this up.

They heard the front door creak open and heard the heavy footsteps on the wooden porch. Looking around, they knew that there was going to be more hiking involved, but the real question was confront them now, or follow and hope for a better time. That decision was made for them when Bobby and Caleb had come up from behind and was spotted by John.

"GO! NOW!" John yelled as he started running away from the group of men.

Starting to chase after John again, the group was determined not to let him go, but when they took in the whole surroundings, they realized that there was another person who was running in another direction. Taking a chance, Dean chased after the newcomer quickly noticing that even though the person was about his height, it was all legs. Hoping that the others had his dad still in sight, and that someone was checking the cabin for Sammy, he stayed on the guy's trail and heard Jim yell out "Dean, they're heading for the river!"

Dean chanced to look ahead and realized that Jim was right, but couldn't figure out what the plan was. He never knew his dad to make such a strategic error, never knew him to let him get boxed in. Just as he thought he was closing the gap on the hooded figure in front of him, the guy suddenly changed direction and started using the low lying branches and shrubs as hurdles instead of trying to go around. 'Damn it!' Dean thought, realizing that he should have seen that coming. Thankfully both his dad and the other person was now flanked on all sides leaving only the area in front of them open to the river, and even that was slowly being dwindled down by Bobby and Caleb.

The chase continued until the unbelievable happened. The person in front of him didn't break stride as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small object then shouted "Down" before he tossed the object behind him, making Dean and the rest of the men close to him dodge in opposite directions to avoid the blast. A second later they realized that it wasn't a grenade, but a modified tear gas cartridge. Cursing at his stupidity, Dean was up and running after the person with his friends close on his heals swearing revenge.

John and the smaller person had joined up in the middle of dodging the other hunters and continued towards the river. Jim tried once again to get through to his friend, "John, stop! We're only here to help. We won't hurt you, but you have to stop, you're running out of room!" However, that only seemed to spur John and his companion harder, and to everyone's horror they ran off a rock face and into the cold river below.

Dean was about to follow, but was grabbed at the last moment by Taylor and Stephen. As they gathered on the rock face, they saw John making his way across the river, but did not see the other person they were chasing. It wasn't until John started yelling, that they started to understand the full implications of what happened, and it took all of Dean's friends to keep him from jumping in.

Soon Dean's voice was mirroring his dad's as they shouted into the wind, "SAMMY!"

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AN: Well? What did you think? You have to let me know otherwise, I have no idea... my psychic powers are on the fritz. ;) 


	3. Chapter 3

Jim couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. His friend had not only willingly jumped off a cliff into a river to get away from them, but took his youngest son with him. Now they all stood there trying to see if they could find Sam, but was not having any luck in their search. "Come on, we can follow down river and see if we see him." He said, hoping that if they actually started to look, they would be able to keep Dean from doing something drastic and getting himself hurt too. The last thing that Sam needed was for his big brother to be out of commission.

They had been following the bank, alternating keeping an eye on John and his progress across the river, and watching for any sign of Sammy. Dean hated this plan, but had to admit that it was better than trying to search blindly for him in the water, when the chances were greater that he had been carried further downstream. Looking back over at his dad, Dean was furious. How anyone could casually let one of their children go into a river and not even try to look for them, he couldn't understand. If it was him, he'd have drowned himself trying. In fact, if it hadn't been for his friends holding him back, he'd be freezing to death in the water searching, instead of trying to find any sign of where the current took him. That thought made him stop in his tracks and look at his father again, it was as if John _knew_ that Sammy was ok; but how…. "Damn! It was a setup!" he yelled and started looking around to take in their position, seeing the first cabin that his father had gone to.

"HEY!" Caleb yelled, looking past the cabin. Once everyone turned their attention up the hill past the small structure they could see a person quickly making their way back the direction that their group had come from. "Ah hell… you have _got_ to be kidding me!"

As they took off in the direction of the diner, Bobby groaned "I should have known… there's no way John would have led us to them without a backup plan."

Stephen wasn't too sure what was going on, but he had a theory, and it wouldn't be popular. As they continued to run after the drenched figure, he voiced his thoughts "Why would the kid be carrying more baggage than what he went into the river with?"

The answer hit Dean hard. The plan wasn't to keep Sammy out of their clutches, but to give him a chance to get whatever was in those bags that he was dragging with him. Furious, he tried to push his anger into getting to his brother faster, but it didn't seem to be working. Although they were closing the distance, they also knew that if he made it to a car then he'd have another head start on them.

It wasn't until they made it to the diner that they knew their suspicions were correct. Bobby's truck came to life and peeled out of the parking lot towards the road leading to the bridge. Knowing that Bobby was really pissed now, Dean tried to refrain from being proud of his brother about the speed and skill he had in hotwiring cars; but damn it was hard.

Caleb ran ahead and yelled "Dean, go… we'll catch up… I'll get Tracy's keys!" then he was gone.

Dean didn't need anymore encouragement than that. He knew that Bobby had a strong engine in his truck, and the rental they got wouldn't be a match for it, but he wasn't going to give up without a fight. They were on the road before anyone even touched a seatbelt, speeding down the road hoping that Sammy would have to stop for something _anything_ to give them a chance to catch up. They had just crossed the bridge when they saw Bobby's truck slide to a stop and Sammy jump out, grab the bags, and jump into the Impala without even bothering to turn off the truck or shut the door.

Looking over at Joseph, Dean tossed his phone to him. "Call Jim, tell him what's going on, that we need to find a way to box them in." He didn't check to see if his friend was doing it or not, he kept his concentration on the car ahead of him. He knew that his dad would try to keep it on a straightaway so the Impala's engine would get them out of town faster, but Dean knew that while they were still in the neighborhood areas, the rental would be able to handle the turns better. Not that he was dissing the other car, he just knew that the suspensions were different, and the newer cars were designed to handle the cities better than the older muscle cars. Although if he allowed his mind to drift, he would have admitted that hearing that engine purr was like music to his ears, and he had dreamed of that sound for years… yeah, if he allowed his mind to drift. No way was that happening, not right now.

John took a corner too fast and slid into a parked car, but continued on as if Hell Hounds were after him. Dean knew that if his dad was doing that, then he really had lost it. That car meant more to him than anything, and he often wondered if it meant more to him than _anyone_ besides his mother.

"Caleb said they're trying to get in front of us from the other side, but to be careful because there has been trouble with the train tracks lately." Joseph said, not wanting to distract his friend too much, but knew that Dean's attention was already fractured. Between worrying about his little brother, seeing first hand how crazy his dad was, and trying to keep on the road while driving a cheap domestic rental… yeah, fractured was definitely a description to use. Glancing back to the rest of their little group, he could that they were having the same thoughts. There was no way, that there was going to be a good ending to this.

They continued to follow, barely keeping the Impala in sight, and on the occasions that they did lose it, they all made sure that they watched closely to make sure that John didn't veer off to another road. Finally though, Dean's worst fear came about; John hit a straightaway and floored it. Barely seeing the car joining them in their pursuit, Dean dodged the other car and gave them enough room to stay on the road as they all raced down the road towards the edge of town.

"DAMNIT!" Taylor yelled, pointing off to the side bringing everyone's attention to what he saw.

Caleb's warning echoed in the men's head. Train tracks, cutting at an angle in front of them. No, this could not end well.

Dean barely glanced at what the problem was and when he saw the train heading towards where his family was going; it felt as if his stomach had totally dropped to the ground. Honking, he was hoping to distract his father, or maybe get Sammy's attention at the danger they were heading for. Instead, the Impala surged ahead faster, until it made it to the tracks, breaking through the barriers just as the train had arrived to the beginning of the crossing.

The sound of breaks screeching to a halt from both the train and the two vehicles that were chasing the Impala, echoed for what seemed forever. Finally the sound of the trains engines were the only thing that could be heard until the occupants of the cars got out and started running to the tracks.

'OH GOD OH GOD OH MY EVER LOVING GOD NOOOOOO!' Dean thought as he slid to a stop in front of the train. Not wanting to look, but not able to not look, he fell to his knees to see…. Nothing. They weren't there. No mangled mess, no parts lying around, no bodies strewn everywhere. Nothing… they made it, they got away. Dean sat there trying to pull in a breath into his uncooperative lungs, but he was feeling like something was sitting on his chest. It wasn't until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder pushing him backwards that he realized that someone was talking to him, trying to get him to calm down, but all he could see was the whole scene over and over again but this time, his eleven year old little brother dying in his arms asking why he wasn't there.

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Jim had insisted that everyone eat dinner with him at the rectory, and no one was going to take a chance at making the priest mad. So, everyone sat at the table and did their best to eat what was in front of them. The police had been informed about what was going on, and an APB had been put out for John and Sam, but none of them had faith that the duo would be found; it wasn't the first time they had eluded the law.

Finally Caleb couldn't take it anymore, he knew that his friends were hurting, but they needed to find a bright side to this otherwise they all were going to go insane. "At least we know he's still alive, right? So, we'll keep looking for him, and next time we'll be more prepared that he runs like a gazelle instead of the klutz we used to know."

Dean snorted at that picture, his brother a gazelle. Well, he'd never thought of it that way, but yeah, the kid could run. Sighing, he pushed his plate to the side. "I'm staying." He said, wishing he didn't have to, wishing that his Sammy was sitting with them safe and sound. "You guys can go back, tell the Colonel whatever you need to, but I'm staying until Sammy's back."

Everyone watched as Dean got up and walked outside. Not knowing what to say, they all sat there in stunned silence. For Dean to go AWOL, that seemed to make everything that Sammy had gone through a waste; not that it was really good, but it shouldn't be for nothing. "Oh like Hell!" Stephen growled as he got up and went after Dean. It wasn't long until the argument was in full swing and the occupants inside couldn't help but hear.

"So that's it? You're going to give everything up just so you _might_ be able to find you're brother? Then what? Let's say you do go AWOL, then you find him… who's going to take care of him? Can't be you, 'cause _your_ ass will be behind bars for desertion."

"Look, you don't get it! We were this close and we lost them. I know I can find them…"

"Well good for you, it's only been three _years_ since you started searching, and your hunter friends here have their _whole network_ looking, but you're just going to walk in and find him. Bravo! Too bad you haven't been able to do that, yet."

The sound of fist hitting face resounded through the night, and made a couple of people inside the house cringe, the rest smirked and nodded; _yep, don't piss him off when he's already mad._

Stephen wasn't going to give up; in fact he was going to push harder. "What shape do you think he's going to be in when we find him? Do you really think he's going to jump in you're arms and everything's going to be ok? You're smarter than that Dean. We've seen what happens to people in these type situations, you know how badly this could go."

By this time, Taylor and Joseph had joined them. "Dean, were all in this together, when we find him, we'll all help to make sure he's ok. You have to have something for him to go to though. We have less than a year before we decide to re-enlist, or do something else. Don't throw it away. Give it another year, we'll get Katie to help us find him and if we still haven't done it, then we'll all resign and find him together." Joseph was adamant. There was no way he was going to let his friend give up on building that life he'd dreamt of for his little brother.

Looking at his friends, Dean didn't know what to say. It was no secret that he'd been stashing money away for when he found Sammy. He'd expected to have found him by now, but the dream was still the same; he and his little brother against the world, and when his time in the Corps was up they'd decide what to do together, whether it was stay in or settle down somewhere, his Sammy was going to be in the decision. His Sammy was going to have a choice.

Nodding, they went back inside and sat back down. Bobby cleared his throat and looked at Dean. "I agree with your friends. Sam's not just going to wake up from this unharmed Dean, and I think you know that. The question is are you going to be ready to give him what he really needs when we get him back."

Caleb looked over the group and nodded his agreement. "Look, you know that none of us are going to give up… EVER, but you have to make sure that you don't lose what ground you've already gained. Let's say that we get him back, how are you going to legally keep him unless you have a home for him, a steady job, and a way to take care of him. You've never shirked your duties to him, this hasn't changed anything. You're still his big brother, and we're still going to find him."

Jim took out a box from the fridge and put it on the table. "I was sure today was the day too Dean." He said with tears in his eyes.

Dean nodded and opened the box showing a cake neatly decorated in red, white, and blue with the words "HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY SAMMY" neatly written.

"Happy birthday little brother, be safe."

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AN: Hope you liked this... let me know! 


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I must admit... I have no personal in depth knowlege of military life (except for what I have been told), although I gave the Air Force considerable consideration... any mistakes I make pertaining to it from now and in further chapters, I apologize in advance. I have the utmost respect for those in uniform and don't want anyone to feel that I'm trying to make light of what they do. Now, on with the story. Hope you enjoy!

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Dean sat in a small bar that was on his way home, nursing his second beer. He knew that he was expected at the apartment for a 'surprise' birthday party, but he also knew that his 'brothers' knew where he was and why. If he took too long, they'd show up and wrangle him home. He had been sitting there trying to decide what to do. He'd asked for more time to decide whether to re-enlist or not. He'd found that he loved what he did and found that he could help just as many people if not more than what he had been doing hunting evil with his dad. In fact he had discovered something that surprised him, he understood demons, but found that people were just crazy and therefore were the greater evil. It would be an easier decision if they had found Sammy, but his family still hadn't surfaced. He just couldn't believe that they still hadn't heard anything about where Sammy or his Dad was; no sightings since Minnesota. He had to agree with Taylor about this 'We can count the dimples on a golf ball from space, uncover terrorist plots just from a phone conversation, but we can't find two people traipsing back and forth across the country in a classic car; what's wrong with this picture?'

So engrossed in his thoughts he didn't realize he had company until the person sitting next to him ordered a beer and pulled the popcorn bowl closer. Looking up from the beer his was holding he was surprised to see who had joined him. "Sir!" he said looking at Colonel Erickson in shock.

The Colonel looked at Dean and smiled, "Winchester, what's this I hear about you not re-enlisting?" he asked, already knowing the answer, but still needing confirmation.

"Sir, with all do respect, I feel that my time needs to be spent in finding my brother." Dean said, trying to ignore the fact that his CO was sitting next to him in a bar asking him about something that he hadn't even decided on yet.

Nodding, the Colonel could tell that this wouldn't be as hard as he thought. "I need to ask you if you're sure about your decision." When he saw Dean look at him questioningly, he expanded, "Your brother has been missing for quite awhile. I know that you and others are on the look out for him, and that so far since that sighting in Minnesota, there hasn't been any information on his whereabouts, and that was more than six months ago. I have to ask if you've thought this through. If you resign, will you be able to find a job that offers health benefits? I know from watching others go through similar circumstances that your brother will probably need medical as well as psychological treatment."

"Sir, I don't think…"

"I didn't say that your brother is crazy Dean. What I am saying to you though, is that we are offering you more than just a paycheck every month. Our little group is a tight nit unit that does some very… _specialized_ things, you fit in because you're good at what you do, you enjoy what you do, and I really feel that if you switched gears and went back to the life you had, that you'd look back and regret leaving the Corps behind." Sighing, he looked at Dean and tried a different tactic. "Do you remember the incident that involved little Susan Baker?"

Dean looked at him with and with a straight face said firmly, "What incident sir?"

Laughing, the Colonel couldn't help but feel that he just made his point. "Exactly! We're family here, and we take care of our own… that includes our family's family. Understand?"

Dean knew he had walked into a setup. He remembered the incident the Colonel was talking about. Susan Baker at seventeen had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd and got hooked on meth. Everyone knew that she had been accepted into Yale and that if word got out about the drug use and the activities that went along with it, that the offer into the college would have been rescinded leaving the girl in worse shape than before. Everyone in the unit helped little Susan get over the DT's and even helped her keep away from her 'friends' when they started looking for her at school again. Her parents didn't have to ask, it's just what they needed to do.

Nodding to let his CO know that he got the point, he agreed to think some more about it and let him know by the end of the week. Finishing his beer, he couldn't help but think about the conversations he'd been having about his little brother lately and hoping that everyone was wrong. He just couldn't think that the Sammy he knew would be in as bad shape as what they thought.

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Katie Hanson was running algorithms on one computer, organizing intel on another, while at the same time searching for weird occurrences on a laptop that she used for her personal use and projects. The laptop was currently in use for the search for Samuel Winchester, and the agreement was, anytime she found something even remotely useful she and big brother Dean would discuss it over dinner.

She had met Dean after a mission that she had played delivery boy on had gone wrong and he had marched right into her cubicle and demanded to know if she knew her ass from a hole in the ground. Having five brothers and being raised only by their father, she was raised to say what you mean and mean what you say, so naturally she couldn't help but like him on the spot. After that they had struck a friendship and that had extended to his small circle of friends. So when they all met up with her and asked her for help in finding his little brother, her response was, "What the hell took you so long?" That had been after the last sighting in a place called Blue Earth, Minnesota.

Looking over at the laptop, she knew that it was a long shot, but she couldn't help but wonder about the criteria that was given to her. Oh the general descriptions of one of the two people in question was easy enough, even the car and tags was a cinch, it was the 'weird' things that she had to fit in there. At first she thought Dean was pulling her leg, then she realized that he was serious; so the search for strange and unexplained deaths was inputted into the computer as well. Now as she waited for her other computations to finish, she perused the information that had been found so far, until something caught her eye. She didn't know why, but this particular article made goose bumps form on her back and she quickly grabbed the phone.

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Dean felt bad, no that wasn't right, he felt awful. His friends had changed their plans to be there with him when he met up with Katie for dinner to go over a lead. As soon as he had hung up from their conversation, he quickly called Pastor Jim to let him know what was going on. If he could confirm Katie's information then they could very well be closing the gap to finding Sammy.

As they all waited for Katie to walk into the restaurant, the atmosphere at the table was charged with an energy that was borderline extreme. Normally they didn't feel it unless they were about to go into a serious situation; something was happening and it had each member in the group tense with apprehension. Watching Dean they knew he felt it too, and had to wonder if this was the day that their 'brother' got his little brother back.

Katie sat down quietly, not being one for formalities she got to the point. "A warehouse in San Diego's Midway District was being renovated when accidents started to occur. It wasn't until people started disappearing then reappearing later as if nothing happened that people started to get concerned. The weird part of that is that they would be found dead days later, after they had already been with their since the designated time of death." She said looking through her notes, not bothering to look up; already knowing that she had their attention. "Now the Impala you wanted me to search for was sighted in San Diego last week, in a neighborhood of one of the last victim's. A neighbor saw the car sitting on the street most of the night and called the cops, the car was gone by the time officers arrived."

Dean knew there was more, he could read people pretty good, and Katie, with all her of her closed off expressions, still had a few subtle tells that he had picked up on. "What else?" he asked, hoping that she had some good news. Something that would lead them to his brother, to end this crazy search so they all could get on with their lives.

Nodding, she knew that she needed to hurry this along. "Dean, the disappearances have coincided with the first day of the new moon." When she noticed the expressions on the guy's faces she turned to them, "It wasn't that hard to notice."

"Were there any disturbances at the warehouse around that time?" Dean asked, knowing that if he got the answer he expected then he was going to have to make a mad dash to San Diego since tonight was the first night of the pattern.

"Yes, gunshots have been reported in the area around that time as well. Usually right after a person has been taken."

Giving Katie a kiss on the cheek he looked her in the eye before saying, "I owe you dinner, I really do, but…"

"What are you still doing here Winchester, go get your brother." She said shoving him in the chest to make her point, then handed him the address and directions on the fastest way to get there.

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It shouldn't have taken them an hour and a half to get there, but it did and everyone was tense in Joseph's Suburban. Knowing how Dean drove while he was upset made the decision for anyone but Dean to drive unanimous leaving him to brood in the front seat playing navigator and trying not to yell at Stephen to drive faster.

Upon arriving, they realized that they hadn't have worried about not being able to find it since there were enough police cars surrounding the place to illuminate the night almost like it was daytime. Pulling up cautiously, they were motioned to stop by one of the officers. Producing ID, they were allowed to continue and made their way to the officer in charge where they introduced themselves and asked about the situation.

"You want to know about the situation? I'll tell you. We're here doing surveillance on the property when we here gunshots coming from inside, two officers run in and call for back up when they see that they're up against some real psycho's. Now we have two officers down and what we believe to be a hostage situation."

Dean looked up at the warehouse seeing that it was three stories and completely dark, not helping alleviate Dean's fear for Sammy at all. "You said a possible hostage?"

The man looked back at him and shook his head, "Look, we're not sure what's going on at the moment. Like I said, we have two men down and the only information that we could get out of them was a man with silver eyes was trying to kill a kid. So, you can take that and do whatever you want with it."

Turning back to the men behind him, Dean was about to fill them in on Shapeshifter's when an explosion blew the windows out of the second story. Hearing a scream from inside the building, Dean and company ran towards the building when another explosion shook the building and threw those in close proximity to the ground. The officer behind them called for fire and ambulance support, and Dean was intent on getting into that building until Taylor grabbed him and pointed up towards the roof where they saw three figures, two grappling with something while the other looked to be aiming a gun.

Watching as the flames quickly made their way from the second floor to the remaining parts of the warehouse, it was evident that the men on the roof were in trouble; no matter which one was doing what to whom. The only thing that was on Dean's mind was getting to his brother and nothing was going to stop him. As he rushed towards the building though, he heard something that made him pause and look up again. A strangled yelp was heard, as one of the figures was tossed over the side of the building.

Seeing that the person bore a striking similarity to Sammy the last time Dean saw him, or at least the parts he had seen, Dean froze in horror as he saw his little brother fall in what seemed to be slow motion over the side. It wasn't until he heard the grunt of pain and realized that the person was now barely holding on to the fire escape, and was dangling precariously by one hand.

"SAMMY!" Dean yelled, running towards his brother trying to get to him before he fell the remaining twenty feet. Hearing footsteps pounding next and behind him, he knew that he wasn't the only one determined to find a way to get to him.

The fire trucks arrived, and the firemen quickly pulled the hoses and tried to douse the building to try and keep the flames from getting the people trapped before they could get a rescue team in there, but the more they sprayed Sammy, the more his grip seemed to slip. The flames continued to eat away at the structure from the inside out, leaving the nothing but instability in its wake. The more that Dean and his friends tried to get to the bottom of the fire escape the more they realized that they weren't able to due to the flames and the continuing explosions that rocked the building.

As they looked for another way to get Sammy down or at least them up, Taylor shook his head. "I thought Katie said this was abandoned!" he yelled trying to make himself heard over the roaring of the fire and the sound of the water.

The rest of the men looked at him and nodded, something wasn't right about this. Someone had set the charges, and now they had to deal with the aftermath. Looking up they watched as Sammy continued to hang on while the other two men on the roof looked to be in the middle of a standoff. The sound of gunshots from the roof echoed off the buildings blending with the shouts from below as Sammy's grip failed.

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AN: Yeah... I'm mean horrible and cruel... reviews help me write faster. ;) 


	5. Chapter 5

AN: So many requested a quick update, and I aim to please. For those who wanted to see the reunion; wish granted - hope you're not disappointed.

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Dean couldn't hear anything except the roaring of blood rushing through his veins as he saw Sammy's fingers slip off the metal fire escape, everything was blocked out as his mind flashed through scenes of firsts with his baby brother. Sammy's first day home, his first smile, his first steps, the first tooth fairy visit, the first lie to keep each other out of trouble. Everything that his Sammy had been through, he had seen until now, now he was the outsider watching as his whole life was about to take a horrible turn, and he couldn't seem to stop it.

Ignoring the shouting around him, he surged forward, trying to get to his brother before he crashed to the ground. As he watched however, he saw the scrawny dark haired person reach out and at the last second grab hold of the fire escape landing for the floor below and dangle there a moment before dropping hard to the concrete below. Hearing a painful grunt, Dean wanted nothing more than to drag Sammy away from the inferno that was raging behind them, but was blocked by paramedics who moved in the tend to the teen.

Watching as the police went to question his brother, he was surprised when the medics started to walk away. "Hey! Where are you going? My brother needs help!" he yelled not understanding what was going on except the people who were there to help…wasn't. He was about to yell some more until he saw that his little brother was in handcuffs and being put into the back of a squad car. 'What the hell?' he thought, wondering what was wrong with everyone as he watched the car carrying his brother sped away.

"Dean, come on! We can meet up with them at the station, but we have to hurry." Stephen said, pulling on Dean's arm to steer him back to the Suburban.

As they chased after the squad car, Dean mused aloud, "Did you see his eyes? They looked so… empty. Like he was just going through the motions and didn't care."

Stephen looked at the others through the rear view mirror and silently agreed, _Dean's little brother gave up hope a long time ago._

While Joseph and Stephen took turns trying to keep Dean in check while they waited to be allowed to see Sammy, Taylor called the Colonel at home to fill him in and ask for a favor. Going back to the small group he filled them in on what the Colonel said, and so they waited until he could get there to help expedite everything.

The detective in charge of the investigation was more than a little pissed about the whole situation. He had just got back from the hospital and upon further questioning it was determined that the kid they had in custody was the kid that the officers had seen fighting for his life from the guy that was seen wiring explosives. Now they were getting word that they had recovered two bodies from the warehouse, so there was no one to prosecute. Yeah, it was heating up to be a hell of a night. Sighing, he looked around and saw what looked like three jarheads trying to keep one of their buddies from blowing a gasket. Grabbing a quick cup of coffee he made his way to the group.

"So, any of you know what happened at the warehouse tonight?" he asked, hoping that it was going to be an easy explanation because anything other than that would reclassify his headache to a full blown migraine.

Joseph spoke first while placing himself in front of Dean, "We have a missing little brother. His dad has kept him from his family for over four years and doing who knows what to him. Now you have him for questioning, and we'd like to see him."

'Well, that's different' he thought knowing that there was no way that they all could be related but wanted to let that slide for now. "What makes you think that he's not involved?" he asked, hoping to stall until the decision could be passed on to his superiors, since the last thing he wanted was to be was the one who terrorized a kid.

"Simple, if you really thought he had something to do with it, you'd be in there trying to break him instead of being out here trying to get information from us." Taylor jumped in. He really hated cops, and being in a room full of them made his skin crawl. The sooner they could get little bro and bring him home, the happier he would be.

Laughing, the detective had to give it to the guy, he had a point. He wasn't one to be patient, and had found the direct approach worked a lot better than trying to bring the perpetrators around to see the light. Nodding he agreed. "Ok, you have me. Look, we don't know the whole situation, but from what I've heard, the kid hasn't said a word to anyone. He didn't even answer if he was thirsty or not. From what I have gathered, he was dragged into this, and whatever happened he was as much a victim as anyone."

Dean watched the man warily, he'd been taught at an early age that cops will tell you what they want you to hear and more times than not, shouldn't be trusted. He'd stayed quiet while getting a feel for the building layout and had already come up with a plan B if things didn't work out right. Of course that would put the rest of the guys' butts in slings too, but hey, wasn't that what friends were for?

"So, we can go and see him?" Joseph asked, not liking the way Dean was coiled from the inside out, he'd seen that stance before, and he didn't think the Colonel would want to explain why one of his men went totally berserk inside a civilian facility.

"Yeah, you can. You can't take him home until he makes a statement, but you can at least see him." The detective said, really wishing his superiors would get there already, because this had the makings of a quagmire.

Dean stood outside the door marked Interrogation and hesitated. He had been dreaming of this day for years, and now that it was here, he had no idea how to handle it. Should he walk in and say "Hey Sammy, how's it going?" or maybe just sit there with him until Sammy started talking. He knew that the other guys were close; in fact he asked them to be in the adjoining room in case they were needed. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door expecting Sammy to be handcuffed to the table. Instead, he saw a pair of handcuffs on the table and a large dark ball curled up in the corner.

Moving closer, he fingered the handcuffs and smirked, then looked at the glass knowing that they saw what he did. Turning back to the ball that he knew was Sammy; he walked up and sat down in front of him. Sammy was wearing the same dark hoodie that he wore in Minnesota. He could see the long hair poking out the hoodie's opening and he couldn't help himself. "I bet dad's been having a fit about your hair, huh Sammy?" he asked, noticing that the body in front of him flinched when he spoke. Not sure what to make of it, he tried again. "Yeah, I grew my hair past the collar once and he took the electric razor to it, couldn't believe that he did that right before the Sweetheart Dance." He was trying to laugh, but it came out more like a croak. Not knowing what else to do, he continued to sit in front of his little brother and talk to him until finally there was a little movement, then quiet spoken words made Dean wonder if he had actually heard something. "What Sammy?"

The body in front of him slowly raised his head slightly and repeated, "Not real, _you're_ not real!" Sammy said, still refusing to look up.

"No, Sammy, Dad lied, I'm here, I'm alive. Just look at me and you'll see." He knew he was begging, but this person in front of him was all that mattered. "Come on Sammy, look at me."

Finally he started to hear something, it was quiet at first, then it got louder, and the longer it continued the more frightened for his brother Dean became. What he first thought were just whispers was actually laughter. Dean had expected a lot of things, but hysteria wasn't something that had ever come to mind. Sammy continued to laugh uncontrollably all the while repeating, "I never left, this is a dream and I'm still there… I'm still there."

Dean didn't know what his brother was talking about, but it was obvious that whatever it was, he wasn't going to like it. Fear gave way to anger and he grabbed Sammy by the sides of the head and tilted his face up to him. "Sammy, look at me! Open your eyes and LOOK Damnit!" he yelled until he saw a pair of bloodshot green eyes look up at his. Relieved, he continued to look into Sammy's eyes and nodded to his brother. "See, I'm here, I'm real, I'm not dead. Do you see Sammy? Do you see me?" he asked feeling as if his heart was breaking watching the myriad of emotions flash in Sammy's eyes, but he refused to let go; not after all this time.

Finally Sammy's laughing stopped and he stared at Dean, and then started to really look at him until finally, Dean felt the whispers of Sammy's fingertips tracing the structure of his face and brushing against the freckles on his nose. "Dean… they said you weren't real… are you real? You're real… but why did they say… Dean?" Sammy's confusion was evident to all those who were watching, but the one thing that was certain, there was no way anyone was going to let the two brothers get separated again.

It wasn't until Sammy gave a small tentative smile that Dean allowed himself to look his little brother over more carefully. Something in the shadows of the hood drew his attention to the whole of Sammy's face and when he pulled it back he paled in horror. Scars looked to be on both cheeks, marring Sammy's face. He had to fight Sammy's hands away to keep him from putting the hood back up, and when he finally managed to push back the long dark hair, he was able to read what was carved deeply into the teens flesh. The right cheek had the words "GOOD FOR NOTHING", while the left cheek read "EVIL BASTARD". Sammy tried to hide his face again, and this time Dean didn't stop him from pulling the hood back over his head. Seeing how badly his brother was silently hurting, Dean wrapped his arms around his little brother and didn't let go, holding him well past the time they were told they could leave.

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AN: Well, there we go... I hope it didn't disappoint. Let me know either way. 


	6. Chapter 6

AN: ok, just to let you know... the next ch is written, I will post it tomorrow... hope you enjoy this one until then!

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Dean had helped guide his little brother towards the main entrance and was waiting to see if there was anything else that they needed to do when he heard a very familiar voice in a very familiar tone. Looking back towards his 'brothers' he couldn't help but smile. _Oh yeah, the Colonel was in full force tonight._

"Don't act as if you're doing us a favor Detective. From what you've already admitted, any case that you may have had against the boy literally went up in smoke. If you want to talk to him any further it will be in the presence of his brother, myself, and one of JAG's finest. Do I Make Myself Clear?" Seeing Dean and his fellow Marines, Colonel Erickson made their way to them and walked with them out the door.

"Dean, you have a few days left to decide and coincidently a few days of paid leave on the books, take them and take care of your brother." The Colonel said, looking at Sammy knowingly.

Confused, Dean shook his head, "With all due respect sir, I don't have any paid…" Dean said trying to be fair in a very unfair situation.

"You let me worry about that. Go home and I don't want to see you until Monday morning. Understood?" Looking at his other men he told them, "Make sure they get home without anymore trouble tonight… I've left Jenna home alone too long as it is." As he walked down the steps, he stopped and turned back, "Scratch that, make sure all of you are at my house Sunday for a late lunch. Jenna's having 'people' over, and God knows I'll need someone to watch my back." As he walked away they could barely make out the rest of what he was saying, "damn inlaws, can't have peace in my own house…"

Not knowing what else to do, Dean agreed then turned back to the men with him. "Well I guess that's it then. I really appreciate…"

Taylor rolled his eyes and tossed a punch to Dean's shoulder, "Shut up already. We're just glad little Bro's with us now, right?" the sound of unanimous agreement resounded in the parking lot and made Dean really understand what he had going for him. Now if he could get his little brother through this, then everything would be ok.

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Sam was confused, or maybe sedated, possibly delusional? Any of those terms were fitting at the moment and all he could do was concentrate on breathing and putting one foot in front of the other when warranted.

Thinking at the moment made his headache worse, which was saying something since the damn shapeshifter had been trying to use the back of his head as a speed bag, and that was after his dad had already taken a few swipes at him. GOD, he hated being bait.

He knew that there was a fire, hell his dad set the damn thing, but what he didn't know was the rest of it. He knew he saw Dean, but at the same time his mind switched back and forth between his dad saying that Dean was dead and that he was the cause of it all, and to that doctor who spent every moment telling him that Dean was a delusion created in his mind to deal with the loss of his mom from a fiery car accident.

Shaking his head he tried to clear the cobwebs out, but wasn't succeeding, in fact it seemed to make things worse. He heard Dean, felt him beside him, he even smelt him; how sick was that? Oh how he wished that this was were he really was… more than likely though, dad had sent him back for more 'specialized therapy' and he was in a padded room where the chances of him getting out this time were slim to none.

Feeling the headache building to a blinding pain, he started rubbing the one spot that usually worked, but found that he wasn't going to get out of it that easily this time. He needed his bag, but it was in the Impala. He knew where it was, or at least he thought he did; if he was seeing Dean again, then maybe he really didn't know… maybe there wasn't an Impala sitting in a dark back alley alone with enough ammo and gear to supply a small infantry.

Maybe he could just sleep. If he slept, then no one could ask him stupid questions, no one could make him wonder where he really was or who he was really with… yes, sleep was the best course of action. If only it was that easy…

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Dean looked at Sammy closely and wasn't sure what to make of him. The dark hair that used to be short enough to have big loopy curls flopping around was now long and only slightly wavy. In fact it was so long that Dean wondered how Sammy could see, much less hunt. It was understandable not to draw attention to his face whenever possible, but to allow the front to grow to the bottom of his chin seemed excessive to him. The black hoodie that he was wearing looked to be the exact same one that he saw in Minnesota, making Dean wonder if the kid had anything else to wear.

Checking their location and noting that they hadn't made it too far from the warehouse, Dean wondered if they could find the car and hopefully Sammy's things. "Hey Sammy, do you remember where the Impala is?"

Sam jerked to the left and looked startled at Dean not knowing if he should answer or not. It wasn't until Dean actually saw the clouded look in his brother's eyes that he could have kicked himself. 'Damn, why didn't I think!' he thought to himself, feeling like the worst brother in the world. "Hey Stephen, I think Sammy needs to see a doc, can you find a…"

"NO! NO DOCTORS!" Sammy yelled as he turned and opened the Suburban's door. He knew that it was a trick of some sort. He must really be screwed in the head if even his delusions were wanting to send him back.

Dean had barely managed to grab Sammy by the back of the hoodie as his brother was half way out of the vehicle, which wouldn't be so bad except they were on the highway doing eighty miles an hour with no way to pull off the side of the road. 'Damn, doesn't anyone sleep anymore?' he thought as he continued to hold on for dear life noting that he had help in the form of Taylor in the front passenger seat holding him inside by his waistband, and Joseph who was in the back holding onto Sammy by his arm. Trying to wrestle his little brother back into the SUV was becoming more of a daunting task than he had thought, and the only thing that he could do was yell to Stephen to pull over, because he was losing his grip.

All Sam wanted was to get out, he didn't care about how. He just had to get away, he had to get away from everything and find his dad. Yeah, dad would know what to do, right? He just had to…

Desperate didn't cover what Dean was feeling at the moment. Stephen hadn't been able to get over and his brother was really starting to put up a fight and there was no way that could end well. Knowing that desperate times called for desperate measures he yelled to Taylor, "Grab his pants!" When he saw that his friend had already unfastened his seatbelt and was half in and half out of his seat so he could lunge for Sammy's waistband, Dean made his move and wrapped his arm around his little brother's neck praying the whole time that he didn't screw up. Applying more pressure until he finally felt Sammy slacken in his arms, he and Joseph were able to pull him back inside.

Joseph reached over and managed to shut the door then told the unconscious boy, "Ok, no more window seats for you kiddo."

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Col. Terrance Erickson was lost in thought on his way home. He couldn't get Dean and his brother out of his head, not that it was surprising; he had taken to Dean almost immediately, especially after hearing about his search for his little brother. Having to raise his daughter by himself the last few years, while staying in the military would have been a daunting task if not for Jenna's understanding of his commitment to her, and to his country. He could only imagine how it would have been for him if Jenna had just disappeared one day. Shaking that terrifying thought out of his head, he knew that he was being an overprotective parent, but with everything going on in the world, he felt it justified.

He knew that Dean was a good soldier and a good brother, he'd seen it with the way he interacted with others in his unit and many of the people they had helped along the way. If someone needed something and it was his to give, he'd hand it over without hesitation, it's just the way he was. Which also made him worry about the choice that the young man faced at the moment, finding his brother had meant so much to him and now he felt he would have to choose between helping his brother or keeping up with his duties in the Marines. 'Well, let's see if we can meld those two duties together.' He thought, hoping that he could find a way to help Dean make his decision, because he wasn't just facing losing a good soldier, he felt like he was facing losing a son.

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It had taken awhile to get home and get Sammy inside onto the couch, but afterwards all Dean could think of was what had happened on the highway and how close he had come to losing his little brother. Not wanting that image imprinted on his brain any longer than necessary, he took up position watching the boy in front of him sleep. At first they all were worried that Sammy hadn't regained consciousness yet, but after a call to one of the doctors on base their fears were abated.

"_From what you've described, he's had a rough day. It's probably just exhaustion, but if you want I'll come over and check him over."_ Doctor Celia Grey had said over the phone, and true to her word, she had arrived in less than fifteen minutes and hadn't hesitated in looking Sammy over while he slept on.

Looking over at the doctor Dean was concerned by what she hadn't said, or rather asked. He knew her as a compassionate person who took care of anyone and everyone that came by day or night; apparently word gets around, lucky for them.

"Dean, my guess is a concussion, that would help explain his confusion. His breath sounds are good and his heart's strong. So why don't you tell me why you're really concerned." Dr. Grey said looking between the man in front of her and the men that were scattered throughout the room.

She had to be nuts to ask him a question like that after he had explained what happened. "Are you nuts? What do you mean why I'm really concerned? Haven't you been listening? My brother tried to make himself into road kill! Isn't that reason enough?" He was yelling, he knew she hadn't done anything wrong, in fact she had been a sweetheart to drive over in the middle of the night instead of insisting on them taking his brother to the ER.

Sighing, she looked at the young man who was no longer sleeping then at his big brother. "Well, why don't you ask him what's going on?" she asked motioning over to Sammy.

Dean was more that a little surprised to see his brother awake and watching him. "Hey Sammy, how ya feeling?" he asked, feeling stupid for starting off that way, but feeling relieved when he saw a flicker of recognition on his brother's face.

"B…b…better I th…think…" Sam stuttered, still trying to wrap his head around what was going on. He looked around and saw that he was in a room and on a couch, so he wasn't in a hospital, but nothing looked familiar and he wasn't sure if he was in the middle of a dream or coming out of a blackout.

Dean watched as Sammy tried to raise up but hesitated, holding his side for a moment before he continued on his quest to sit up. Looking at the doc, Dean sent her a silent question.

"Dean, his ribs are pretty banged up, but I can't tell if they're broken because of the swelling. Something tells me that we're not going to get him to agree to an x-ray." She said calmly as she sat on the coffee table close to Sammy. Looking at the young man she held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Celia Grey and just to let you know, I checked to make sure you weren't dying on your brother's couch."

Sam looked at her for a moment, then tentatively took her hand lightly shaking it "Ssssam…not…d…dd…yin…g on mmy…bro…ther'ssss cc…couch."

The guys couldn't help but laugh at what they heard, the kid looked like death warmed over, but he was still able to crack a joke. When they saw his startled expression, they worried that maybe they should have kept their mouths shut.

"Sammy, these are friends of mine. They've been helping me find you. The snow white guy who thinks he should be Bill Gates by now is Taylor, he's from 'the hood' somewhere in New Jersey and you should see what he can do with a computer. Joseph over there thinks he's God's gift to women, but you and I know different don't we? Last but not least, we have Stephen who's from Maryland of all places, can you believe that? I don't think we've ever met anyone who willing admitted they were from _Merry Land._" He was rambling, he knew it, he just couldn't help it. His brother kept looking at him as if he'd never seen him before. It didn't help that he had heard his brother stutter out a sentence. 'Damn, I thought we were over that, and to make matters worse, it's only gotten… well, worse.'

Sam was looking at all the people in the room and knew that something was off, it wasn't until he looked at Celia again that it clicked. "D…doc..t…tor?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Busted aren't I? Yes, I am Sam. Don't worry though, unlike some of my other colleagues, I don't believe in forcing my patients into things they don't want to do. Now I know that you're hurt more than what you're letting on, but I'm going to leave that up to you, ok?" She had seen the shocked look on Dean's face and knew that he'd better keep that infamous temper in check if he didn't want to scare the kid any further. She'd seen cases like this where she grew up, people that had been victimized first by their attacker, then by the people they should have been able to count on to help. She wasn't going to alienate the kid anymore than she could already see that he was. 'Someone's really done a number on him to make him this skittish around people.' She thought to herself, remembering a stray dog that would hang around the clinic she volunteers at, it get's real nervous around people too.

Sam saw the look on her face and wondered about it. Usually he saw people look at him in fear, but all he saw was sadness. Thinking about how long he had probably been out and that she hadn't done anything to him then, maybe she would just give him something for his headache then leave him alone. Pulling the hair back from the back of his head, he let her lightly go over it, then look further until she saw what part of the problem was.

"Well, the good news is… you don't need stitches, the bad news is… you must have one _hell_ of a headache. So, how about you tell me how bad the pain is and we'll figure out what to give you, ok?" she asked and watched as he looked more than a little reluctant to tell her anything. "Ok, let's try this. On a scale of one to five, five being the worst pain you have ever felt in your life, show me how bad your pain is." Seeing him smirk at the comment about the worst pain in his life made her think that maybe it was going to be a little more difficult than what she thought until he held up three fingers. Sighing, she knew that this was what she was afraid of. Looking at Dean she knew that he was chomping at the bit… he wasn't known for his patience. "Sam, I have a brand new bottle of Advil in my bag I can give you, or I can give you something stronger that's in blister packs."

Watching the doctor in front of him pull two containers out, he wondered why she was being nice. Usually, it would have already been forced either down his throat or the needle driven in his arm. Taking a chance, he took the small bottle of Advil and watched as she smiled. While he opened the bottle and checked that it really was new, he listened as she explained that normally she wouldn't advise double the dosage, but in his case he probably needed it. He nodded and took four out of the bottle and swallowed them dry. He looked over at his brother and started to really hope that this was real, but if it was then what else did dad lie to him about?


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days passed with each new oddity being noted and confirmed by other members of the group. It hadn't taken any of them long to notice that Sammy wouldn't drink anything from a glass, it was always from an unopened can or bottle. They had found that out the hard way when no one could get him to drink some juice, water, or even a soda and they were all worried the kid was going to dry up; until Joseph's girlfriend Mandy had arrived with a fresh case of bottled water that she had picked up on sale, Sammy had taken a bottle offered and downed it in record time making everyone wonder when was the last time he really drank something. Eating was a whole other story though. He wouldn't eat anything at first and then in the middle of the night they all had woke up to something moving in the kitchen only to be surprised that it was Sammy making himself some eggs, it took over an hour to convince him that he didn't do anything wrong, and that if he was hungry he needed to eat. After that they figured out that they needed to set some stuff off to the side and let him cook it or fix it himself… in fact, if they wanted him to eat it, they learned not to touch it at all, let him have first dibs in the kitchen to prepare it.

Saturday morning had dawned with a surprise; the Impala had been towed to the apartment building and left out front for all to see. At first the guys hadn't thought too much about it until they saw Sammy standing on the sidewalk staring at it. Dean had asked if he was alright, but he had just continued to stare quietly until finally he turned around and walked calmly back into the house only to reappear a minute later with a baseball bat and proceeded to beat the hell out of it. Dean had tried to get Sammy to stop, but that only seemed to upset him more, leaving Taylor and Joseph to calm Dean down while Stephen went over to make sure that Sammy didn't hurt himself in the process. Finally, after all the windows were smashed and there were enough dents in the car to make it look like it had been in a demolition derby, Sammy had crawled into the backseat and worked a large envelope out from the springs underneath the bench seat, then worked his way back out and proceeded to pry open the trunk to retrieve one backpack before walking back into the apartment without saying a word.

Having been tuned into Dean for so long the guys were able to pick up on Sammy pretty easily. He didn't talk much and shied away from people, but they always seemed to know when they needed to stick a little closer to him, helping his brother give 'little Bro' the added security he seemed to need at the time. They all took turns keeping eye on him at night, making sure he didn't bolt out the door while everyone was sleeping, but realized quickly that if he was going to run, he'd find a way no matter what they did, after all the kid had to use the bathroom some time, right? Unfortunately they found that out early one morning when they couldn't find him anywhere in the apartment, half an hour later Joseph stumbled on him sitting outside in the back yard looking up at the stars seemingly unaware of the uproar he had just caused.

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Dean was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee and feeling like a failure. His brother didn't trust him; that he could tell just by how he'd look at him sometimes, as if he was waiting for some sort of betrayal. He'd been patient, understanding, and even tried to instigate one of those 'chic flick moments' that Mandy had suggested, but nothing seemed to work. The last few days were like spending time with a stranger; a silent, skittish, edgy stranger, and God forgive him he hated it. He wanted his little brother back, the one who would smile at the drop of a hat and giggle over the stupidest things. Now he was sitting by himself wondering how he was supposed to get through to his brother when he didn't even know if his brother wanted to be with him.

He wasn't alone too much longer before his roommates joined him at the table. "What's up Dean? You look like you've sucked on a lemon or something." Taylor joked, hoping to coax a response other than a grunt out of his friend. The others couldn't help but agree; the last few days had seen Dean go from a normally easy going guy to someone that people wanted to tiptoe around.

Taking a moment to put his thoughts together he finally asked, "Where's Sammy?"

"Taking a shower so don't use him as an excuse. What's going on with you lately?" Stephen asked trying to reign his own temper in. "You know for someone who's spent the last … what, four years looking for your brother, you haven't been acting too happy lately now that he's here."

Looking up Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Of course I'm happy he's here, but Damnit, he won't talk to me. Hell, he won't even look at me if he doesn't have to. I know he's hiding something and he won't leave that damn backpack for a moment. Not to mention how many damn showers does one person need to take anyway? Or how about the damn pain pills he's always taking? Is he still hurt enough to have to take that many, but when I ask him he just shakes his head. What the hell am I supposed to think about that?" He asked standing up and throwing his coffee mug against the wall barely missing Sammy who had just walked into the room.

Sam stood stock still taking in the situation, not sure what he was supposed to do. If it was some sort of spirit or demon throwing things at him he'd know what to do, but this was his brother; at least he had been starting to think so, now he was starting to wonder. Looking at Dean he watched his brother's complexion pale and the others around the table freeze in shock at what happened. Taking a chance, he went to the refrigerator and got a can of soda; then turned around and went back the way he came.

"Sammy…" Dean croaked out, not believing what had just happened. 'Damn, now I'll probably never get him to talk to me.'

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The rest of the morning went by in ebbs of utter time stopping slowness followed by tides of 'where the hell did it go?' Before any of them knew it, it was time to get ready to go to the Colonel's house and play buffer for him while his deceased wife's parents were in town. Not knowing what they should wear, it was agreed to dress casually and if they were wrong, to play it off that they had 'just dropped in while out driving.' _Yeah, like they'd be out driving in that neighborhood._

Sammy seemed perfectly content in wearing his jeans and a pair of worn tennis shoes accompanied with his standard black hoodie, making the lot of them not knowing whether to be amused or disturbed. After all, they still didn't know how much clothing was actually in that back pack, and if the size of it was any indication then it couldn't be a lot. Waiting on Dean to get out of the bathroom, the guys looked at their 'little Bro' and finally Stephen spoke up.

"Hey buddy, how about you change into something that's not black, ok?" he suggested hoping that he hadn't just put his foot in his mouth.

Sam looked at what he was wearing then at his brother's friends. Knowing that Dean was already upset with him, he nodded and took his backpack into Dean's room passing him in the doorway.

Dean looked between his brother and his brothers as if he wanted to ask a question but Taylor jumped in first. "Relax, he's going to change out of that black hoodie then he'll be ready." Not totally convinced about that statement, Dean was about to share his opinion when the bedroom door opened and Sammy walked out wearing a brown tee shirt with some sort of design on it that Dean didn't recognize covered with a dark blue hooded jacket.

Laughing, the guys all agreed that Sammy had met their requirement and it was nice to see him in something different. At first Sam didn't do anything just looked at his shoes, his hair hiding his face, then he looked up with a quick smile and a shrug of his shoulders before he went outside to wait for them.

"See, now that's what I'm talking about!" Dean crowed, happy to see a part of his brother was still in there.

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They had been at the Colonel's for an hour and forty five minutes. Dean should know because it was the longest hour and forty five minutes that he had ever experienced in his life. He knew that the Colonel had married into money; it wasn't that he'd never been to his home before; in fact it was a very nice home that was settled close to the beach without having to worry about being swept away during high tide. It was the in-laws that seemed to be determined to drive everyone around them crazier than they were with their constant attitude that things didn't meet with _their_ approval. Even their granddaughter Jenna was having trouble keeping her mouth shut at the moment. Dean would have the stray thought of 'you tell 'em kiddo' when Jenna would very politely cut them at there knees.

It had been a long drawn out affair in the dining room, and everyone had been relieved to be allowed to leave the table and meet out at the patio to enjoy the warm sunny day. Taking the opportunity to escape, Jenna had immediately taken Sammy's hand and dragged him down the steps to the beach, not giving anyone a chance to warn her about the kid's peculiarities. The guys watched as Sammy, although surprised, didn't try to push Jenna away. _Huh… maybe we should have thought of that sooner?_

Knowing that his daughter was safe on the beach and so close to the house with everyone on the patio, Terrance let himself relax a little and continued the conversation he was having with his family and his men about the need of both 'anti and counter terrorist units' to which his in-laws frowned upon saying that paranoia was what bred the problems in the world, which started the whole argument of past actions vs. current conflicts to the point that no one saw the men coming up the beach until they heard Jenna scream. Turning there attention back to the kids, they saw four men in a struggle with the teens.

Sam didn't know what to say during lunch, so he had tried to stay invisible at the table. When Jenna had made a point to talk to him, he would make his response quiet and short so not to sound either stupid or damaged. She had surprised him by taking his hand and dragging him to the beach, but he wasn't going to complain. He still wasn't sure if he was here or someplace else, but God he was hoping for the here and now. He listened as she talked about her dad and her friends, about how she was happy that he came and how well she knew her brother and his friends. He had been totally swept up in her and lost focus until they were right on them, until he heard her scream.

Turning around, he faced off with one of the men who had a gun, disarming him by breaking first his wrist then his nose. The man who had Jenna by the arm was next as he grabbed her arm and pulled her hard effectively swinging her behind him and now he was dealing with the remaining three. One of them was talking on a phone while backing up, but the other two were a different story. The one on the right lunged at him with a knife which he was able to dodge, grab the man's wrist while using his other hand to hit him in the armpit sending the man to the ground. Grabbing the knife, he was about to position himself in front of Jenna again when he was blindsided on the left and put in a choke hold. Using his elbow to distract his attacker, he thrust the knife behind him and felt the blade lodge into the man's stomach, not taking a chance, he sent the knife upwards until he felt it hit the sternum then he let it go swinging around to take in the remaining situation. The one with the phone was running down the beach, but before he had a chance to go after him he was tackled by the first man he had downed, after wrestling out of the man's grip, Sam wrapped his arms around the man's neck and didn't let go until the resounding snap of the neck breaking was heard. Letting the body fall, Sam stood there for a moment before he realized what he had done, then he backed away from Dean until there was nothing left for him to back into.

Dean saw Sammy's reaction and he had to say that he could understand the emotions his little brother was feeling; taking a life was never easy, even if it was in self defense. What worried him was that his little brother looked as if he was terrified. Then he realized that he was… of _him_. "Sammy, calm down. You're ok; nothing's going to hurt you. Jenna's fine, you're fine. Sammy, calm down." He talking, trying to convince his little brother that everything was going to be ok, but it was like he was talking to a blank slate. Even when Sammy backed into the side of the hill, he looked like he wanted to get away. He could hear the sirens getting closer and knew that if he didn't get Sammy to snap out of it he was going to have bigger problems than what he had at the moment. Feeling that he didn't have a choice, time was running out, he jumped on Sammy and after they both fell to the ground, wrapped his little brother in a full body hug like he would after Sammy would wake from a nightmare. "Shhhh Sammy, it's ok, no one's mad. You're ok… I've got you…. Shhhh." He repeated over and over until finally Sammy's struggles stopped and his breathing evened out again. Afterwards, they made their way back up the beach where the police were just arriving.

Terrence knew how close he came to losing the last remaining piece of his beloved wife, and he was thankful beyond words to the young man who saved her. Momentarily lost in thought, his mind quickly flashed to seeing the four men on the beach, _his Jenna being held by one… Sam breaking the nose of one of the attackers… Jenna's screams… Jenna behind Sam… Sam gutting another attacker… Jenna watching in horror… Sam on the ground… finally reaching Jenna… the sound of a broken neck._ He was brought back abruptly to the present by the officer in front of him.

"Sir… sir, I need to ask you some questions." The officer repeated hoping that the backup that was requested would hurry up. There was no way he would be able to cover this by himself.

"Of course, let's get everyone back up to the house and we can go over everything." He told the officer before he turned to check on his daughter pleased by what he saw.

Dean and Sam had just made it back to the group of people when Jenna ran up and wrapped her arms around Sam, burying her face into his chest. Surprised, Sam just stood there with his arms to his side not knowing what to do. He stayed that way until he heard her whisper, "You saved me Sam, thank you for saving me." Surprised, he looked down at her and saw her bright green eyes looking up at him, and saw the freckles that reminding him of his brother's, before she buried her head in his chest again. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on her head inhaling the scent of her shampoo and watched the sunlight dance in her red hair.

'That's my boy' Dean thought with pride as he guided the pair back up to the house meeting the other's on the way where they shared a look that everything was going to be ok.

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After corroborating the Colonel's story that they had seen the men on the beach going after the kids and that they did what they had to do to protect their families, which the police considered an open and shut case of self defense, the guys went back to their apartment and decided that a nice quiet non assuming pizza was in order for dinner. Sitting at the table, they all watched as Sammy played with his piece and didn't touch his soda at all. Wondering if he was still worried about what they thought about him, they were all about to assure him that they actually thought he was pretty cool when he got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen.

Sighing, Dean threw the remaining piece back on his plate. "Damnit, I thought we were getting through to him." He said, wanting nothing more than to dive into a bottle and forget that tomorrow he was supposed to make a decision that he hadn't even talked to his brother about. He was in the process of throwing the contents of his plate in the trash when Sammy walked in again. Looking at his brother he could see that his hands were shaking and his eyes were wide with fright. "What's the matter, Sammy?"

"Ddddaddsssss alllive aanndd IIII'mm…"

Dean was in front of him pulling him into a hug before he could get the rest out, he didn't need to finish what he was saying, and everyone could see that he was scared out of his mind. The question was, how did their dad survive the fire, and how did Sammy know?

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AN: Not too sure about the ending, but as usual, things will be revealed in time. So, knowing that... how'd you like it? 


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Hey everyone... thank you so much for the response to this story, it's blown my mind. Sorry that this is shorter than normal, it just seemed like a good place to pause. ;)

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Dean stood there holding his little brother close, with questions running through his mind faster than he could try and find answers for them. Their dad was alive? How? The police had reported two bodies recovered, and although they were planning on identifying the bodies with dental records, that plan had been scrapped when Dean explained that the last time his dad had gone to the dentist was in the military more than twenty years ago and who knew how many teeth he had lost in fights since then. So, using general descriptions and eye witness accounts it had been determined that one of the bodies was indeed John Winchester even though the actual body had severe damage to it due to the fire. Now though his Sammy was freaking out and saying the opposite, that dad was alive, and that thought had the kid scared so bad Dean thought he'd shake himself to pieces. 'Damn dad, what the hell did you do?'

Taylor had no idea what to make of the situation except go into investigation mode. Seeing a small note in Sammy's hand, he gently pried it out of his fist and looked at it. It was from the towing company stating that any and all towing fees needed to be paid immediately and had been authorized by the owner. 'What the hell?' he thought to himself as he looked at the note again then saw a number at the bottom. "Sammy, did you call this number?" he asked, hoping that it would give them a piece of the puzzle.

Sam nodded, but couldn't get his mouth to form words. His worst fears were compounding on him. If dad was alive then he wasn't safe, he'd have to go back. He'd just found Dean, he wasn't crazy, but he'd still have to go back. He tried to stifle the sob into his brother's shoulder, but instead it came out louder and more intense than he would normally accepted from himself; he wasn't twelve anymore damnit, he needed to pull himself together. He needed to leave, to get away. Maybe he could hide well enough this time that he wouldn't be found… you couldn't be punished if you weren't found, right?

Pushing away from Dean, Sam quickly made his way back to the living room and looked for his backpack, he knew he left it by the couch, but now it was gone. Puzzled, he looked again, he could hear Taylor talking to the man on the phone about the car, he knew that Dean was watching him and probably thinking what a nut his brother had become, Joseph was still in the kitchen, which left…

Stephen had a feeling that the kid would bolt, but also knew Dean was right; Sammy didn't let his backpack venture far without him. Now watching the kid look around for it, he had to wonder what all was in the bag. Considering how light it was, it was obviously not much. He'd seen some scary things when he was in high school, his parents believing that public school wouldn't harm their children, not realizing that it was the kids _in_ the school you had to worry about; but what he saw when Sammy swung around and saw that he was the one with his freedom in his hand, _that_ was scary.

Sam was across the room and tackling Stephen before anyone could react. Taylor was still on the phone trying to get more information, Joseph had been trying to compose himself before he tried to talk to Sammy but now had to help Dean pull little bro off Stephen. 'Damn the kid's wiry' he thought as they started to make progress in getting Sammy away from their friend and brother. Unfortunately whatever progress that was made was taken full advantage of by Sammy when he used the momentum from them pulling him, to get his backpack and then free himself from the other two. He had barely made it to the door when he was tackled by Dean and pinned down face first into the carpet until he stopped struggling.

"Damn it, Sammy! Stop!" Dean growled in his ear, he could feel Sammy's heart pounding underneath him and he was sure that no one's heart should feel like _that, _ever!

Taylor had just finished the call to the towing company and started to fill everyone in on what he found out. "A man with identification showing that he was John Winchester made arrangements for the Impala to be towed here. He had the address of both where the car was and our address." He let that last bit of information sink in before he confirmed, "He told the man that he wanted it towed to his son's apartment where he would pick it up along with something else that belongs to him." Taylor watched Sammy for a reaction and wasn't disappointed as the kid tried to buck Dean off, but wasn't successful. 'The kid's got guts.' He thought as he started categorizing the things that they already knew, and the things they needed to know, quickly understanding that the questions outweighed the answers.

Stephen was still trying to recover from the bruising the kid laid on him. He hated to admit it, but Sammy had some moves. Now all they had to do was convince him that he would be safe with them, then follow through with protecting him from his crazy daddy. _Sure, no problem_.

Standing at the ready in case he was needed, something caught Joseph's attention. The neighbor's dog was making a racket to beat the band, never mind that it was a twelve year old Schnauzer, if something was in the backyard, he'd let you know. Making his way to the balcony window, he barely saw the shadow move before it was gone. Not wanting to alarm Sammy anymore than he was already, he just nodded confirmation to the others and hoped that the kid wouldn't turn his head and see. Taking a chance, he glanced over and saw that everything stayed as it was; Lady Luck was with them tonight.

"Sammy, listen, ok? I'm going to let you up only if you promise not to take off. Promise?" Dean asked, knowing that if Sammy promised something, it was in granite; no matter what. Hearing a muffled answer, Dean asked again and this time Sammy just nodded that he promised. Getting off his little brother he allowed Sammy a few moments to roll onto his back. Seeing the rug burn on his brother's cheek made Dean feel awful, but he couldn't let him just run out the door. From what they now knew, John was still out there and more than likely had just been in their back yard.

Looking up at the ceiling, Sam couldn't look at anyone; they wouldn't understand. If dad was looking for him, if he found him, he'd be sent back. He couldn't go back; he'd rather die than go through that again. That was the problem though, his dad wouldn't let him; he had a job to do, one last thing before dad would fulfill his promise to let him go, to allow him to die. After all, there were worse things than death. So lost in his own despair, he didn't feel the tears trickling down his face to gather on the carpet, didn't hear his brother talking to him, or see Dean's friends trying to get him to look at them. All he knew was that his dad was going to come and take him like the piece of luggage he was; just something to be forgotten until needed, something owned but not cared for. He had no idea how long he stayed like that until he was carried into Dean's room and tucked into bed like a toddler, nor did he notice that all of his brother's were close by keeping him safe.

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The clock showed four in the morning and Sam's eyes opened as if they were on some sort of weird internal timer. Noticing he was in Dean's room, in his brother's bed, he tried to remember what had happened. When the memories of the night before came, he groaned in embarrassment. He didn't mind getting jumped by his own brother, but to have a total shut down moment in front of practical strangers was more than a little humiliating. Looking around the room, he saw his brother sitting in a chair next to him, sound asleep, Taylor had taken post at the window, snoring lightly. Knowing what he'd find outside the room, he got up and quietly cracked open the door.

Joseph knew that Dean and Taylor had crashed about an hour before and made more of an effort to stay awake. The kid was quiet, but in their apartment, that often sounded like a tomb in the early morning hours, his groan carried into the living room. Smiling a 'Good Morning', he motioned for Sammy to follow him into the kitchen. "How about some coffee?" he asked, knowing the answer and already getting a can of soda out of the fridge.

Smiling sheepishly at the man in front of him, he took the soda then asked, "Ssssstephen dddouble chchecking outdooooors?"

"Double, triple, hell I don't know how many times, yeah, he's out there. Don't worry though, he'll be back in a minute and _he_ can help me drink this dreg." Joseph joked, looking at Sammy like he wanted to say something but was worried about the reaction.

Silence took over the kitchen until Stephen walked in and saw Sammy sitting at the table. "You gave us a scare kiddo. Do me a favor, next time you decide to practice your NFL moves, let me know I'm going to be a tackling dummy, ok?" he asked, taking the chance of reaching over and ruffling Sammy's hair.

Slightly smiling, Sam couldn't help but think that maybe everything would be ok. Maybe he didn't have to leave after all. Taking a moment, he allowed his mind to drift to the possibilities of being with Dean instead of who knows where, hunting things that made 'normal' people scream in fear. Looking up, he saw both men watching him like they wanted to talk, or maybe wanted _him_ to talk. He looked at Stephen and wondered about who he was and how he and Dean met, and then his gaze switched to Joseph and couldn't seem to put an image to the man. He was just about to ask his questions when they heard the sound of crashing in Dean's room. A moment later Dean was racing towards the door with Taylor close on his heals. They hadn't even unlocked the door before Sam spoke up. "Dean… in hhhhere."

Dean could have dropped dead from a heart attack when he had opened his eyes and saw an empty bed. When he jumped up and the chair had fallen backwards into the nightstand, Taylor thought there was trouble and sprung into action quickly following Dean out of the room and through the apartment while still trying to get his brain to fully engage. When they heard Sammy in the kitchen, both men didn't know whether to be thankful that he was there, or beat the crap out of him for scaring them like that. Quickly deciding on door number one, they stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed some coffee before Dean turned back to Sammy and in a thick voice still laden with sleep said, "Sammy, we need to talk."

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Dean was in full uniform and making his way across the base to see the Colonel, all the while replaying the early morning conversation with his little brother in his head. After explaining the situation, Dean had expected questions or maybe some sort of attitude, not the quiet and thoughtful stare then the 'Dean, you already know what you're supposed to do why ask me to confirm it?' that was stammered out, but made his decision solely on his shoulders – again. He hadn't wanted to do it alone, and now that he had his Sammy back he thought that it would be something they both could discuss then decide, but nope; apparently life with Sammy doesn't work that way.

Arriving at the Colonel's office, he was just about to knock when he ran his hands over his uniform again and noticed a small difference. Reaching into his jacket pocket he found a note. Even though he didn't recognize the handwriting, he knew it had to have been from Sammy. What was inside made him smile and realize that he _had_ known the answer the whole time. Rereading it, his smile widened. _Dean, Go For It! Love, Sammy_

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AN: Hope you enjoyed it, will start working on the next chapter after I work on Heartbreaker... I'm sooooo far behind. Let me know what you think:) 


	9. Chapter 9

AN: hey there... I hope you all enjoy this... not alot of action, but it does give us a peek to what's to come.

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Stephen had volunteered to take the day off to stay close to Sammy, and it was already turning out to be an interesting morning. Sitting in the living room, he watched little bro out of the corner of his eye as the kid seemed fascinated with the movie. Admittedly, when they all had pitched in for the big screen TV, they had been in awe of it, now though they just took it for granted and enjoyed it and the movie library that they had accumulated along the way.

"Hey Sammy, how about I make some more microwave popcorn?" he asked, seeing that the bag in the kid's lap was almost empty. Apparently everyone had forgotten about getting groceries which meant that there were no eggs and there was no way the kid was going to eat anything that had already been opened; so that left out the cereal, milk, bacon, hamburger, potato salad and even the package of cheddar cheese that had been used to make the mac n cheese cheesier; so doing a mad search of the cabinets, freezer and fridge it was quickly discovered that the only thing that happened to still be untouched in it's protective packaging was a full box of microwaveable popcorn, which Sammy smiled gratefully and put a bag in the microwave himself.

Sam looked at the almost empty bag, but was so caught up in the remaining part of Star Wars that he quickly shook his head. He knew that Stephen had been watching him, he could feel it, but he also knew that Dean trusted him so he refused to be freaked out by the six foot three inch tall man who insisted on keeping him company. Finally as the credits rolled, he looked over at Stephen. "So, now what?"

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Dean had been in the Colonel's office for over an hour and he was starting to wonder if he was going to end up staying there all day, not that he minded, but it seemed as if the Colonel had a list of things to cover and it was getting longer by the moment.

"Dean, I know that with this new information about your dad…"

"John sir." Dean interrupted, making the Colonel look at him strangely, "His name is John; he lost all right to being called 'dad' when he hurt Sammy."

Nodding, the Colonel silently agreed, but continued, "Ok, John still being alive will have more implications than what I think you realize. First off, if he decides to take Sam, he has the legal right to do so until his parental rights are terminated. Second, the investigation could easily pull Sam back in as an accomplice if John went to the police with a tall tale. Finally, from what you have described about your brother's reaction, there's something else going on, and you need to find out what it is before Sam hurts himself."

Looking at the man in front of him in shock Dean could only protest, "Sir, Sammy would never…"

Holding a hand up to stop Dean from going further the Colonel had to be honest about what he thought, "The truth is; we have no idea what he will or won't do. I bet four years ago you would never have imagined him the way he was on the beach." Seeing the look of acceptance on Dean's face he nodded again, "I'm not saying he's not a good kid, hell anyone who would watch him for more than a second can see that there's still a kid with a good heart in there under all that training and damage." Knowing he needed to get to another issue at hand, he pointed to the picture on the wall. "Dean, I know that you're aware of what's coming up."

Dean nodded and smiled sadly, the annual Jenna's Jubilee. Every year on the Saturday before Valentine's Day, the Foundation that the Colonel's deceased wife, Jillian, had founded put together a complete no holds barred ball, complete with tux's, dance cards and of course ballgowns. Dean used to tease the Colonel about Jenna finding her Prince Charming at one of these things to which the Colonel looked at him shrewdly and growled "as long as it's not you, I'll be fine", they still joke about that because everyone knows that it was going to have to be someone extra special for the Colonel to hand over his little girl.

"I need a favor Dean, and just to let you know how serious this is, I'm letting you decide to do it or not; I'm not ordering you to do this." Knowing that he was probably crossing a line, but not being able to find any way around it, Terrance looked at the young man in front of him and explained. "Jenna's life has been threatened, and the police are taking it very seriously. The men on the beach were apparently supposed to take her, then I was to get a ransom demand of some sort. The police believe that she would have been killed before the note would have been delivered. The threats have been sent to the Foundation and have been escalating. Dean, I need to know that I have people on the inside who are there protecting her. If at all possible I would like for you and the rest of the Musketeers to be there."

"Done, Sir." Dean answered without hesitation. He knew the guys wouldn't have a problem with protecting Jenna and the Colonel, his only concern would be Sammy, but he still had a few weeks to worry about that. When he saw the Colonel start to object, he quickly cut in. "What we do, we do together. They'll agree with this, I guarantee it."

Knowing that a guarantee from Dean Winchester was something to set your watch by, he nodded and relaxed a little. 'Now to find a way for Jenna to agree.' He thought, dreading the conversation.

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Grocery shopping had never been one of those things that he thought about. Usually there was a list of things needed, and a general consensus of things wanted, and if he managed to walk out of the store with half from each list then the trip was considered a success. So when Stephen watched Sammy walk up and down the aisles quietly studying the list then comparing brands, weight and price he thought the kid had lost his mind. Until he noticed that the kid also knew what was on sale and had already factored that into the equation in his head. By the time that they were done at the register, they had managed to get everything on the list and quite a few things from the 'wants' category and only spent slightly more than what was normal making Stephen feel like he had hit the jackpot with Sammy being there.

Everything had been going great while shopping. Only a few people gave them odd stares, but then again most people didn't usually see a tall African American man walking down the aisle with a fifteen year old kid with long hair and a hoodie shielding his face. Ignoring the stares they did get, they easily paid for their groceries and were almost out the door when they were stopped by a security guard at the door.

"I need to see in the bag." The man said pointing at Sam's backpack.

Taken by surprise, Stephen could only stare in shock for a moment. He was actually used to this happening to _him_, not a kid like Sammy. Looking over he saw that little bro hadn't moved and by his stance, he wasn't going to. _Ok, this could get ugly_.

The man moved forward, "Empty the bag son, now"

For each step the man moved forward, the more Sam's stance tightened until Stephen knew that he needed to do something before the situation got totally out of control. "Why do you need to see in his backpack?" he asked, hoping that he could get the focus on him and not Sammy. 'Huh,' he thought 'never thought I'd want that in this type of situation.'

"Look, if you give us the stuff you took, I won't call the cops. Just put it over there on the table."

"Wait, you think he stole something just because he's carrying a backpack? Do you even know how stupid that sounds? Next thing you'll be doing is frisking grandma over there because her purse is too big." Stephen yelled at the man, actually wanting to make a scene and get people to look.

"Sir, if he'll just open his bag we can get this taken care of." The man kept insisting, while Sammy kept tensing, and Stephen kept yelling.

Finally, the manager walked up to the scene taking place at the front of the store. "What is going on here?" he asked, wanting to take care of this issue quickly since he could see people leaving as soon as they heard the racket. After the guard explained the situation, the manager looked at Sammy. "Son, did you put anything in your bag that doesn't belong to you?"

Only glancing at the man, Sammy shook his head 'no'; then started looking at his shoes once again.

Nodding, the manager agreed to let them go, but for Sammy to leave the bag at home next time otherwise they would have no choice but to search him with a parent present.

After getting the Suburban loaded and they were on the road again, Sammy looked at Stephen. "Yyou dddidn't aaasssk…"

Knowing what Sammy was saying, he shrugged his shoulders and looked back at him, "Ok, so… did you?"

"Nnot ttoday."

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Dean had wanted to stop at the bar on his way home, but the thought of leaving Sammy any longer than necessary really made him edgy right now. Of course it was mainly to do with John and what he wanted with Sammy. With everything that the man had put his little brother through, he couldn't believe that he would want Sammy back out of the goodness of his heart. So instead of drinking, he was walking his frustrations off and trying to get home, replaying the conversation with one of the base's lawyers over and over in his head. Basically, they were screwed until they could terminate John's paternal rights and that could take over a year if it was proven that John was still alive. Until then, he could walk in and take his brother and disappear again and there was no legal recourse.

Allowing the taxi to pick him up, Dean got back to the apartment and checked the perimeter, spoke with the Hungarian grandmother who lived next door, and made sure the protection sigils were still discreetly marked before he walked into the apartment and came face to face with the sight of his brother laying on the floor not moving. Rushing to find out what happened, he had made it five feet from the door before a voice from the kitchen.

"You wake that boy up and I'll beat you myself."

Looking over he saw Stephen looking like he had just got kicked by a mule and holding an icepack to his eyebrow. "Oh God… please tell me that Sammy didn't do that!" he groaned, really fearing the answer.

Stephen wanted to knock some sense into Dean but settled for answering his question instead. "No, it wasn't Sammy who did this, but it _was_ Sammy who helped stop the situation." Dean stood there in shock while the store incident was explained and how afterwards they had brought everything back, put it up, had lunch and had the _brilliant_ idea of going to the courts to shoot some hoops. "We'd gotten a good game in Dean, you'd have been proud. Next thing we know there's a group of guys shouting things at us that at first we thought were for someone else. When we realized that they were calling _us_ queers, Sammy was the first one to laugh… man Dean when you said that his laughter was contagious you weren't kidding. I guess one of the morons didn't take to me joining in on the fun because he swung in and surprised me with a pipe and got me in the ribs. Someone else had already lunged at Sammy, but he knocked them out with a hit between the eyes and turned to take on another guy who had me at a total disadvantage. He managed to get the first guy off of me and turned to face off with the other guys when we heard sirens. We had to deal with the question and answer session for close to an hour before we could come home. The kid went in, took a shower, crawled into a pair of your sweats and a t-shirt then plopped on the floor to watch a movie, five minutes later he's out like a light. Taylor and Joseph have already been home and they decided to find out what's going on around here."

Wondering what the hell was going on; Dean reached into the fridge and opened a beer before he sat back down. Running everything in his mind he was coming to a conclusion he didn't like. They had never had a problem at the store before, they'd even been known to drag their duffle bags in there after they got back from a mission and wanted to grab a few things on the way home. The courts had had a few problems, but mostly dealing with play time, nothing else. Finally he got up and looked at his friend, "John has something to do with it." To which Stephen had to agree.

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AN: Well, I hope you liked it, let me know... I'll try and update soon. 


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Ok... think of this as an early update... with a possibility of a bonus one later.

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Sam felt the touch on his head before he registered anything else around him. Cussing himself for being so stupid, his mind was starting to race to the different scenarios that he could possibly be in. It wasn't until he heard "Shhhh, Sammy, I'm here." that he allowed himself to relax again before slowly opening his eyes. Looking around he realized that he had fallen asleep in front of the TV like a five year old. Moving his head just enough to put Dean into his line of sight, he saw his brother was totally engrossed in a show. Not wanting to disturb him any further, he moved to get up when Dean lightly growled then told him to go back to sleep. He was just about to do that when he thought to ask, "What time is it?"

Dean knew that Sammy had been out of it for several hours and that he probably needed the rest, so when he felt the first tense muscles he laid his hand on his little brother's head hoping to keep him under for a little while longer. Seeing that his idea wasn't going to work he whispered to his brother and was happy to see that he was relaxing again, now though the kid wanted to know what time it was instead of chilling for awhile. "Uh… ten thirty eight."

Shocked to hear the time, Sam jumped up and confirmed it to the clock by the TV. After grabbing his bag, he rushed to the bathroom with Dean's question reaching him at the door, "What's the big deal Sammy, taking medication or something?" Not looking back, Sam answered quietly as he shut and locked the door.

Shocked that Sammy would have jumped up at the time, Dean couldn't help but try and make a joke out of it. When he heard a quiet answer and the door shutting and locking, he knew that his Sammy was odd, and his frequent showers were just one of the things that he was getting used to. Now if they could just find John and make him pay for everything he's done, he'd feel a lot better. His daydream was interrupted by the phone ringing, and he wasn't sure if he should answer it, after all it was past ten and that usually meant bad news.

"Yeah, this is Dean." He answered, not sure why he picked up the phone in the first place.

"Mr. Winchester?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yeah, well… one of them anyway." He smirked, knowing that his sense of humor kills.

There was a pause on the other end and finally the voice was back, "I see, of course. Mr. Winchester, you and I spoke earlier about the situation you have with your brother."

Dean paused a moment then remembered the attorney who had basically confirmed how screwed they were. "Right, Lt. Jennings. What can I do for you?" he knew there was a reason why he didn't want to pick up the phone.

"Mr. Winchester, I was looking over my notes, then checked some information with the police. Sergeant, are you aware that your father is dead?" Jennings asked, trying to emphasize the right words.

"Well, we know that he was presumed dead, but after what we saw and …"

"I understand Mr. Winchester, grief can be a horrible thing to bear. However, since the police has declared John Winchester dead, the issue of terminating his parental rights are mute. If you are your brother's only living relative, then that will of course expedite your claim to guardianship."

Speechless, Dean sat there for a moment. "What if he isn't dead, let's say… somehow he survived?"

"As I explained, John Winchester has been declared dead. If by a long shot he survived, you would still have guardianship over your brother until the situation could be dealt with in court. Of course if you have evidence to prove that your father is still alive…"

"NO… I mean, no… there's no evidence proving that. So, what do we do now?" Dean asked, not sure what he would do if there was a ream of paperwork to do.

Lt. Jennings riffled through some papers before continuing, "Do you think that you and your brother could meet in chambers tomorrow morning at ten hundred hours?"

Without hesitation Dean jumped up, "Yes Sir! We will be there!"

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"Daddy…NO! This is ridiculous! Mom wouldn't want to have goons tarnishing her work!" Jenna stood in her father's study and stared him down over his desk.

"Jenna, no one is tarnishing your mother, they will be there to help keep you safe." Terrance had been dreading this conversation all day, and knew it was going to go this badly when he first saw his daughter's twitch.

Looking at her father again, Jenna was momentarily at a loss for words. That lasted only a moment before she was ready to strike again. "If mom was alive, she'd be arguing the same points with you. There is no way I'm going to let…"

"It's the Musketeers Jenna, they'll be there with escorts as if they were on the guest list. I wouldn't make a spectacle out of your mother's memory by having armed guards walking around, you should know that of me by now." He knew that she was worried; unfortunately she was worried about the wrong thing. "Sweetheart, this threat to you is very real. You need to worry about that more, and the Jubilee less."

"I can't believe you said that Daddy!" Jenna exclaimed, "Mom was right, there's no talking to you when you're like this!" she finished as she turned to stalk off, pausing only to ask, "Will Sam be there?"

'Hmmm… this might be easier than I thought.' He mused to his daughter's question, his mind already solidifying the plan.

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"Ok Sammy, now remember, Joseph will bring you to the base and we'll meet up in Lt. Jennings office before we go and get this taken care of." Dean was talking to his brother through the bathroom door waiting to see how what he had chose to wear today. When it had passed the fifteen minute mark, he started to worry, how long did it take to put on a pair of pants and a shirt anyway? He was about to knock again when he heard the knob unlock and turn, waiting impatiently, Dean swung the door open and looked at his brother from head to toe. "Oh you have got to be kidding. Come on Sammy, this isn't any normal day, you're going to be in front of a judge to decide where you're going to live. You've got to have something else to wear."

The only answer he received was the door closing and locking on him, leaving him talking to himself – again. Pounding on the door wasn't getting the response he wanted, but it was the only thing besides kicking the door down he could think of.

"Don't even think about it." Taylor said from behind him holding out another cup of coffee. Walking past Dean he went to the door. "Hey Sammy, if you hurry Joseph can run you to the store and get you something that will make this grump happy. You need to hurry though, this incredible offer is only available for another three minutes and forty… thirty nine… thirt.."

The sound of the door opening made Dean let out a breath he hadn't known that he was holding. "Hey Sammy, sorry about that… I wasn't thinking. I tell you what, I'll give you some money so you can get a few things while you're out ok? Then when I get back you and me are going back out and get whatever you forgot, ok?" He was watching his little brother closely and was worried that whatever progress they may have made had been undone until he saw Sammy nod slightly before he made his way into the kitchen to get a bottled water out of the fridge and headed towards the door where Joseph was already waiting.

Dean was about to call out to them when Joseph turned back around, "Don't worry so much, he's with me and nothing's going to get him. We'll be there a quarter till, so _you_ better not be late." Then they were gone, and Dean couldn't help but feel like he was letting Sammy down – again.

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Sam knew that Dean had been busy with everything else and forgot to check about clothes, and really, he was fifteen he could manage to get his own clothes for Christ's sake. He hadn't missed the look on his brother's face though when he saw him again in his jeans and black hoodie, it had been a look of pure irritation; he should know, he'd seen the same look on their dad's face – when it wasn't hidden behind the look of pure hate and disgust. Sighing, he looked over at Joseph and watched as the man concentrated on driving through morning traffic. He didn't know too much about him except that he was from small part of New Jersey and he didn't talk to his family much, or at all… depending if yelling at each other during funerals counted as talking, and that he had arms as big as Sam's thighs.

Knowing that he was being scrutinized, Joseph didn't say anything while he drove. He knew that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but he had been itching to ask Sammy questions but there had been an unspoken agreement…no pressure. 'Sure, no problem except the kid looks like he's going to implode.' He thought to himself going over everything they had pieced together, and not liking the picture he was getting at all. Seeing the mall up ahead, he wished yet again that Darla could have come with them, he sucked at shopping for clothes. "You know Sammy, my girlfriend Darla loves to shop. Maybe next time we can snag her and she can show you the ropes around here." He said, hoping to get a response from the kid, when Sammy stayed quiet, he smiled and continued, "Yeah, I don't blame you. Let's leave the marathon shopping to the women folk." So sure that he was going to be met by silence, he was surprised by the smirk he heard from the passenger seat. 'Ok, little bro has a sense of humor.' He thought to himself as he managed to find a parking spot close by.

Walking into the first store that had clothes proved to be disastrous, one that Joseph was quick to correct. Pulling a red faced Sammy back out of the store, Joseph muttered, "You tell your brother I took you into a sex shop, I won't be responsible for my actions kiddo." He watched as Sammy shook his head in agreement. _There was no way either of them was going to mention it… ever. _After going into several stores, Joseph was seeing a pattern, the kid would see something, look at it, then discard it and walk away. It took them a couple of stores for him to notice _exactly_ what the kid was doing, and he had no idea how to stop him from it. Finally though, they found a small shop that was having a clearance sale on everything and Sammy found a few things that looked like it could pass Dean's standards for today.

Knowing that they were starting to run out of time, Joseph told Sammy he could change in his truck on the way back to the base. As they melded with traffic to get on the highway, he noticed Sammy glancing hesitantly over at him. Smiling, he smirked, "I'd say I'd shut my eyes kiddo, but then how would I drive?" After only another moment, Sammy was working his hoodie over his head in the tight confines of the truck. Intent on trying not to freak the kid out by looking, Joseph kept his attention to the road ahead until something to the left caught his attention. "Hang on kiddo!" he yelled, just as the first impact was felt.

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AN: Well... how'd you like it? 


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Well how about that... I got the "bonus" update done. :) Well, I hope you like it! Oh, and either you'll love me or hate me...

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Dean was pacing back and forth looking at his watch and not feeling better by what he saw. Lt. Jennings was ready with all the information to grant Dean guardianship, now all they needed was the person in question who seemed to have disappeared. "Sergeant, is there any way to get hold of them? Maybe they had car trouble, or lost track of time." 

Shaking his head, Dean knew that something bad had happened. Joseph is never late, it's one thing that he's anal about; that and keeping a promise. If he said they'd be there at a quarter till, then they should have been there a half hour ago. Looking back at his watch, and seeing that it was five past ten his apprehension skyrocketed. It wasn't until they saw Colonel Erickson storming through the doors that they knew how bad the situation really was.

"Winchester! Come with me, some jackass just ran one of my men off the road and apparently one of his brothers is pinned in the truck." Not wasting any time, Dean followed the Colonel out the door with Taylor and Stephen bringing up the rear. "When I get my hands on the bastard…"

Dean was puzzled, he was pretty sure that the Colonel had been talking about Joseph and Sammy, but now, with the way the Colonel was fuming he had to wonder if he was wrong. If he was, then he was chasing after someone else while he should be tracking his little brother down. Climbing into the Colonel's Tahoe they took off quickly, barely slowing down at the stop signs until they made it to the highway where they all were thankful for the seatbelts as the Colonel sped up and weaved through traffic. Ten minutes later, they saw the scene from the opposite side and it took a direct order and two arms on his shoulders to keep Dean in the SUV. Finally arriving at the actual scene, they all got out and rushed passed the ambulance and fire trucks and was able to get a better look at the scene.

Joseph's truck had been smashed into the concrete retaining wall after being banged all to hell by something else. That wouldn't have been so bad, except that there was now a light post lying on its side parting the truck's squashed roof in half. Seeing it up close and personal didn't alleviate anyone's fears, in fact it made them feel even worse. Once they located Joseph lying on the hood of the truck looking inside, they all realized that Sammy had to still be in there. Hearing more people approach, Joseph looked up.

"Thank God! Dean, talk some sense into your brother, he's not listening to me." Joseph said, frantic that he couldn't get through to the kid. Seeing Dean rush towards him, he moved to the driver's side to let him have enough room to see little bro himself.

Jumping on the hood of the old truck, Dean wasn't sure what he would see, but he was determined not to let his little brother down now. As he looked inside, he saw Sammy cramped in a small space looking dazed and even confused. "Hey Sammy, what's this about you not listening to Joseph, huh? Didn't I tell you he was a good guy?" he watched as Sammy looked at him for a moment before he answered.

"Yeah, JJ's pretty cool." Sam said, looking at his brother; glad that he was there.

"So, what aren't you listening to him about? Let me guess, you two were arguing about the benefits of good old American Steel versus the newer crappier fiberglass models, right?"

Sam lightly laughed, before his bruised ribs protested. "When he said he wanted to update the truck, I didn't think he'd go this far." He said, giving his brother a tired smile.

Dean knew that his little brother was hurting, but he still hadn't gotten an answer. Looking at Joseph he asked, "JJ? Dude, you are _so_ going to explain that one to me."

Taking that for what it actually was, Joseph looked at Dean and explained, "The medics have been here already trying to check him out and give him some relief, but he refused to have them touch him. He won't listen to me man, you try."

Looking back at his brother, he joked, "This true Sammy? You not playing nice with others today?"

"They weren't going to give me a lollipop when they were done, so I figured I wait." Sammy said, gasping through the pain in his head and his ribs. He knew nothing was broken, but they hurt like a bastard, not to mention the blood running down the side of his face was irritating as hell. Knowing his brother like he did, he knew that he'd make him go to the hospital once he was out of this mess, but right now he didn't want to be bothered with mundane details like concussions, contusions or even respirations.

Sammy's spunkiness made Dean proud of his little brother, irritated, but proud. "Hey Sammy… your talking right again. I knew you could do it. Was it those exercises we used to do, or just the thought of your handsome older brother getting more wise cracks in?"

Shaking his head, Sam looked between Dean and Joseph before answering, "Figured if you hadn't eaten me by now, you wouldn't want to now that I'm practically road kill."

Joseph looked shocked by the response, but Dean smiled and nodded his understanding. Wanting to fill Joseph in and keep Sammy's mind off things Dean explained, "Sammy here was about eight years old when he disappeared from a Laundromat. There had been quite a few disappearances in the area and we had been looking for clues to what it could be. Well, about a day and a half later John and I stumble across a small house in the woods with a crazy family who thought that the Grimm's Brothers had the right idea, and started their own version of Hansel and Gretel. Sammy had to watch two other kids about his age get… uh… well you know, and he was told that he was going to be dinner the next night."

"You're kidding, right?" Joseph asked in horror, half expecting Dean to shout 'Gotcha!' at any moment.

They heard Sammy in the truck agree with Dean, "It took me weeks not to hide from strangers, and months to quit stuttering all the time, then almost a year to keep it from happening around people I didn't know."

Joseph shook his head then looked up to see what the hold up was, the crane was supposed to be there by now. "So, it looks like the gang's all here. The Colonel's arguing with the Fire Chief about something and I think that Taylor and Stephen are going to have to keep him from knocking the Chief out."

Dean looked over the roof in shock. Everyone knew the Colonel had a temper, but he was usually able to rein it in, but whatever the Chief had said, had set that temper into full swing. Luckily, some sort of agreement was made and the Colonel along with Taylor and Stephen were making their way towards them.

Situating himself so he could look Sammy in the eyes, the Colonel got down to business. "Sam, I need to know what's going on, you look like crap, but they're telling me you're refusing medical treatment."

"Yyes ssir…" Sam said; not sure if the Colonel wasn't going to eat him when all was said and done.

"Ok, can you tell me why? No, nevermind, if you're like your brother here that would be like pulling teeth. Let me ask you this… do you think you can wait another hour to get out of there?" Terrance was waiting for any indication that the kid couldn't wait because he had already decided how to handle it…they said as long as he was conscious he had the right to refuse; they didn't say _how_ he had to become unconscious.

Sam looked at the Colonel, "Yyes ssir, I ccan wwait an hhhour."

As he looked Sam over, Terrance could see the boy was tired and beat to hell, but there was definitely a strength there that was kindred to his brother. "Ok son, but I need you to promise that if you feel like you're hurt worse than you thought, or just can't stand it anymore you let us know. Do you promise that?" he asked, and didn't get up until he heard Sam promise. After that he looked back at his men, "Alright, they have a crane on the way and it'll be here in about half an hour, by the time it's hooked up and ready to lift the pole, that will be another fifteen minutes. Right now, Sam's calm but I don't want him agitated at all, understand me? I don't know why he's refusing treatment, and I don't care, we'll deal with that later. Right now I want to know how this happened. Joseph, what the hell did that to your truck?"

Joseph quickly explained how a big black truck had rammed into them and after one of the tires blew his truck rolled several times before stopping against the wall, then the pole fell onto the truck effectively separating him from Sammy. Looking at Dean he quickly apologized for not taking better care of their little brother.

"Dude, it's not your fault. With everything going on, it could have happened to any of us." Dean said, fully understanding what had happened, and who was really to blame; John.

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It took two and a half hours to get Sammy out of the truck and by that time Dean had enough with being patient. Getting in the face of a couple of firefighters normally isn't the brightest thing to do, but when he heard his little brother cry out in pain after they worked him loose, he completely lost it. After threatening the firemen with having charges brought on them for unnecessary force, they countered with contacting authorities because the kid wasn't in school. Meanwhile, the news crew was having a field day with the turn of events, and it was only the sound of Sammy's voice that kept Dean from letting a fist fly at the camera man.

After promising to go to call Doctor Grey later, the Colonel allowed Sam to go home and rest up instead of being taken directly to the hospital where they all wondered if that was where the kid truly belonged. They did notice that as soon as he was out of the truck, Sam had allowed a paramedic to clean out the small cut on his forehead and put a bandage on it. What took them by surprise though was when he asked to use the back of the ambulance to change his shirt, and later came out smelling of rubbing alcohol, with damp hair, his new button up shirt on and his hoodie in a large plastic bag separate from the shopping bag he had.

The Colonel dropped them off at the apartment with the promise of checking on them at the end of the day, as well as to make sure that Sam had fulfilled his promise as well. Dean helped Sammy lay down on the couch before he sat next to him and sighed. "I'm sorry Sammy." He began, and when he saw the question in his brother's eyes he continued. "I've been so wrapped up in having you here with me, that I forgot everything else. Hell, it didn't even dawn on me that you might _need_ clothes instead of just liking the couple of things that you've been wearing. I don't know… I guess I'm still trying to accept that you're really real… here with me. You know?" he asked, hoping that he was making more sense than what he thought. "Look, Sammy, I know that everything is happening at once, I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything at anytime, ok little brother?"

Sam looked at Dean and wasn't sure what to say. His head still hurt, and he still had to ask Dean to call Celia and see if she could come by, but all he really wanted to do was sleep. "Ok Dean, but can we talk later? I'm really tired and I still need to call…"

"One step ahead of you, little bro," Stephen said as he came walking out of the kitchen with a bottled water and an individual pack of Advil in his hand. "I already talked to her, and she said that she'd be over in a little while but to take these first." Sam was looking at Stephen in shock causing the man to laugh, "Well I figured that we can't keep buying new bottles every time you get a headache, so I asked around and bought a box of these. Don't worry; they're individually packaged and ready to go."

Taking the packet from Stephen, Sammy smiled at his brother "You must think I'm a nut." He said trying not to sound depressed.

"Nah… you sound like my pain in the ass little brother, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Dean said giving Sammy a heartwarming smile. "You know I don't care about this little stuff as long as you're here, right?"

Sam was looking at Dean and couldn't help but hope that his big brother meant it, because if not, then he was going to be alone until the day he died; and if their dad had anything to say about it, that would only be another year and nine months.

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Explaining things to Lt. Jennings had been easy; convincing the judge to take the day's events under consideration and grant the guardianship without meeting Sam and Dean in person was a little more difficult. Finally having explained the whole situation and personally vouching for the brothers, Col. Terrance Erickson had the guardianship papers in his hand and he couldn't wait to deliver them personally. Walking into his office, he had a surprise visitor waiting for him.

"Jenna! Is everything ok? What's wrong?" he asked, looking her over to make sure that she was alright.

"Daddy, the news said that there was a horrible accident and that you were on the scene. I've been calling most of the afternoon." Her voice cracked, but she tried to stay stoic to find out what happened.

He couldn't help but feel relieved that she was alright. With everything that had been going on his first thought upon seeing her was that she had been attacked at school. _Damn!_ "Jenna, sit down. I need to run something by you, and it's something that I need your full agreement to before I continue." When she looked at him questioningly he took a deep breath and jumped in "I think you need a personal guard while you're at school."

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Dr. Celia Grey knew she was being watched as soon as she got out of her car. Looking around the only thing that she found out of place was a large black truck at the end of the block; normally there were only small vehicles that lined the curbs. Not thinking too much about it, she entered the building and walked up the stairs that were in the center of the foyer. Learning the hard way the last time, she ignored the two doors on either side of the stairs, and went to the right where the "main" entrance was. She had heard the story of how the four soldiers were so close that they had refused to get separate apartments, and looked everywhere for one with four bedrooms that they could afford. Apparently, one of them had gone out with a girl who was the co-owner of a quadplex and was looking to rent out the upper apartments. After looking at the double two bedroom apartments, they quickly got permission to make it into one large four bedroom two bath apartment and signed on the spot. She didn't believe it when she heard it, after all, they were grown men, surely they could have handled a wall in between them; then she saw for herself how close they were and understood. Now she was being asked to come into their tight circle and she felt more than honored.

Knocking on the door, she waited until Stephen escorted her into the living room to her young patient. "Sam, what have you done to yourself now?" she asked getting a quick look at him.

"Apparently, Joseph needed an excuse to get a new truck, right Sammy?" Dean said while winking as his brother. When Sammy rolled his eyes but didn't try to answer, he knew that either his brother was more tired than he knew, or he was nervous around the doc.

"Ah, so you were the ones who shut down the highway to only two lanes today." She said as she started getting her equipment out. "Ok Sam, how do you want to do this? I need to check your ribs and see if there's any other damage. Now, the last time I did that, you had your clothes on and it was very difficult. If you take your shirt off, I can get a better look and hopefully not take as much time. So, which is it?"

Dean cut off any response from Sammy and said in his place, "He'll take his shirt off, won't you Sammy?" Looking at his brother in disbelief, Sam just laid there staring at him. Not to be dissuaded, Dean stared at Sammy just as intently. "Either here or the hospital Sammy, your choice."

Taylor, Stephen and Joseph looked at each other then at Dean. _What the hell?_ Finally though, they saw Sammy tenderly trying to get up from the couch. As Celia helped Sammy sit up, the guys looked at Dean in admonishment, but were puzzled by the saddened look on his face. Then it hit them, this was the only way he could find out what else their father might have done to Sammy.

Unbuttoning the shirt, Sam didn't want to take it off, but didn't want to go to the hospital either. So after taking a deep breath to steel his resolve, he took off the shirt and waited for the response he was sure to hear; it didn't take long, and he wasn't disappointed.

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AN: Ok, maybe you love to hate me right now? Well, let me know! 


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Hey there... as promised, the next installment. I hope you like it.

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Dean could only stare at what the shirt had been hiding. The scars on his little brother were horrendous and he had no idea where to start in order to categorize or even identify them; they were everywhere. He saw what looked to be runes carved into Sammy's arms from the shoulder to the elbow, there were scars on both wrists from where he had been tied down by something too tight, gouges in his shoulders and chest, scars from deep cuts made into his flesh, as well as fine lines to show where someone had just played instead of going deep, evidence on his back where a belt or something worse had made contact, then there were the scars from what some would consider to be animal attacks but he knew to be from creatures his little brother had faced, burns that looked to be from cigarettes or cigars were few but still had to have been painful to go through. Not knowing how to fix this, Dean could only watch as Dr. Grey took a deep breath and tried hard not to lose her lunch on their carpet.

Celia had seen a lot of things in her life, and she had mostly seen them in her clinic in East L.A., but for the life of her, she couldn't remember seeing so much damage to one person and them living to tell about it. Feeling more than a little nauseous just at the thought of what Sam had to have gone through, she cranked up her efforts to separate herself from what she was seeing and concentrate on Sam, the person who needed taken care of if the bruises along his ribs were anything to go by. "Sam, I'm going to press around a little. I need you to tell me when it hurts more." As she continued to examine him, she couldn't help but feel intense anger towards the person who tortured him so badly. Feeling that his ribs were just bruised and not wanting to worry the brother's any further she smiled at Sam. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it? I bet you know the routine by now, but what makes me think that you'll do your own thing by morning?" she asked, watching his face and waiting for any type of response. When none came, she knew that this was going to be a rough night for the guys.

After Stephen saw the marks on Sammy's body, he couldn't take it; he walked through the apartment to the area that they used to workout. Making sure the bag was secure, he started to hit it over and over again, trying to imagine having John Winchester in front of him so the man could know how it felt. His Mom had been a nurse when she met his Dad, and she had always said that he was what saved her from being a cynic in a world where she saw the worst of people. His Dad had become an attorney to help lower income families afford the same representation as the Upper Class. Both of his parents had never shielded their children from the pain that was outside their home, their safe haven; they wanted to make sure that their children knew compassion for others. Now though all he could feel was anger and hate; not towards Sammy, no way… towards the animal that had done that to him, to treat him so horribly that it took everything that the kid had left not to run out the door and disappear into the night. Pausing, Stephen knew that he wouldn't let Sammy down; he just had to find a way to help make it right.

Taylor had known violence his whole life, being raised by hard core drug addicts who enjoyed inflicting pain on others when they were coming down and didn't have the money to get themselves back up again. He had walked out of that life and right into a gang that his older brother had lived and died for. Seeing the marks on Sammy made him sympathize with him, while at the same time feel ill that someone could be so cruel to someone so close to them. He knew that he as staring, but he had no idea what to do at the moment, and with Sammy not doing anything, he really had no idea what the kid would accept and what he wouldn't.

Joseph was ready to go hunt down the sorry bastard who did that to the kid, no one should ever have to endure what Sammy had gone through in the last four years of his life. Standing there watching Sammy allow the doc to check his ribs made him proud of this new little brother of his, this one person who has taken everything that has been done to him and has kept going even when, he was sure, that there had to have been a point where taking the easy way out seemed like a better option. Looking at Dean, he saw the tears pooling in the other man's eyes and he had to admit, he felt the same way. Now they just had to figure out how to make this right, if that was even possible. There had to be a way to make the kid feel comfortable around them again, and by damn he was going to find it.

Sam sat there and listened to the sounds around him. Dr. Grey sounded like she could toss her cookies at any moment, Dean had gasped so loud Sam thought he would choke on his tongue, Stephen couldn't stand to look at him and had left the room, Taylor had been staring but had stayed quiet, which left Joseph who sounded like he was itching to leave. He heard Dr. Grey tell him that he knew what to do already, and he almost laughed about that; yes, he knew what to do. Now though, he just wanted to be left alone, or did he? Maybe if he took a hot shower then he could get rid of this headache and maybe be able to think again. Reaching down he picked up his back pack, silently thanking Stephen for rescuing it from the truck and made his way to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

As soon as the sound of the lock was heard, it was as if something snapped in the room. Dean couldn't get the image out of his head of how badly scarred his little brother was. Swinging around he plowed his fist into the wall all the while cursing his father and damning all the deities that had failed to keep his little brother safe. Everyone had started to loudly express their feelings as well and after Stephen came back into the room, the anger in the room reached a boiling point and Celia knew that was a recipe for disaster, but before she could figure out how to direct their anger, Dean stopped in mid-fit and listened.

Dean knew something was wrong the minute it registered in his brain that he wasn't hearing the shower. Running to the bathroom he tried to open it, but the lock wouldn't budge. "Sammy," he called out, trying to get any sort of response out of his brother, "Sammy! Are you ok in there? OPEN THE DOOR!" he yelled, while continuing to pound on the door. Looking back to the guys they had the same look of apprehension that he felt. Not wanting to take a chance, he put his shoulder against the door and forced it open, hoping that he was just being paranoid.

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Jenna had just finished her conversation with her Dad and she wasn't sure what to think about it. Yes, she knew that there had been threats on her life. Yes, she knew that the incident on the beach with Sam had been about her. Yes, she knew that even though her Daddy was a big bad Marine he had bowed down to his wife's wishes and allowed her to become a princess instead of a tomboy who could kick butt when needed. She knew all this, and she was still coming up with a blank as to how he could think that she would go along with it. "Daddy, have you lost your mind? There is no way I'm going to school with a bodyguard! No way! Missy Jefferson had one for a whole year and she was miserable, she said it was more like being on lock down twenty-four-seven. I love you Daddy, but please don't ask this… I have way too much stuff to do to worry about someone watching my every move and getting in the way in the process."

Looking at his daughter, Terrance knew that this was exactly the reaction he was expecting. 'So much like her mother.' He thought fondly, letting his mind travel to when she was still alive and bringing so much to everyone around her. "Jenna, I know that you don't want someone to dictate to you, and I also know that you enjoy a lot more freedom than most kids your age just by you having your license already, but you need to think more about your safety than the duties you have at the Foundation." At her shocked look, he shook his head. "No Jenna, I'm not saying that you're not stepping into your mother's role perfectly. In fact I'm so very proud of you and the work that you have been able to continue, but how much work will you be able to do if you're dead?"

Sitting down, Jenna thought about what her Daddy just said. It had been so hard to convince the Foundation's board and advisors that she could step up and take over for her mother, but she did; and none of them can say that she wasn't doing a good job, so what would happen to her mother's legacy if she did die? Who would take over then? Dad _couldn't_ because of his duties and obligations, and her grandparents _wouldn't_ because they were still in denial of what her mother had died from. Sighing, she nodded her head. "Ok Daddy, I'll do it." She said sadly, knowing that her life was going to be miserable until they could find out who had made her a target.

"Don't worry Jenna, I have the perfect solution to your dilemma, and I believe it will help a certain other person out too."

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Dean was standing in the doorway frozen to the spot, at first not sure what he was seeing. Sammy was wedged between the bathtub and the toilet, seemingly just sitting there with his eyes closed. Rushing into the room, he knelt down in front of his little brother and put a hand to his cheek. "Hey Sammy… Sammy? You ok buddy?" he asked, praying for an answer, anything to help him get rid of the thoughts running through his head. Looking around he took in that there was no blood, no sharp objects, no pills or bottles lying on the floor. Relieved, he patted Sammy's cheek again this time getting a groan.

"Hurts Dean…" Sam slurred, he felt like his whole body had been put in a vice and someone was determined to crush him slowly.

Alarmed, he looked over to Celia who quickly jumped in the tub to get better access to him. "Sam, can you tell me what hurts?" she asked then had to laugh as he gave a smirk in response. "I take it everything hurts. Ok, can you tell me if something hurts worse?"… nothing… "Ok, how about if everything feels like they've seized up and the pain is traveling through your body?"…a small groan of agreement… "Ok Sam, you probably were heading to the shower weren't you? How about we get that started then we take another look at you when you're done?" she asked as she climbed out of the tub and started the hot water. Pulling Dean into the living room she filled everyone in. "His muscles have cooled down too much too fast, they've basically seized up. It happens often after car wrecks; in fact I'm surprised Joseph hasn't started feeling the effects yet. Help him with his shower; don't let him out until he can ask you to. Right now his brain most likely overloaded from the pain of everything else. Once his muscles start to loosen, his brain will catch up. Got it? Good… I'll need to get something out of the car, if one of you wonderfully big strong men will escort me?"

Dean looked at the others in awe; none of them were used to someone just taking over like that, well not in their own home anyway. Nodding at the guys, Stephen stayed close in case he was needed, while Taylor and Joseph walked Celia out to her car. Turning back to the task at hand, Dean went to help his brother take a shower. "You know Sammy, this could be an episode of Jerry Springer… yeah, I can see the caption now Brother's Who Shower Together. What? You don't like that? Ok, you come up with a title… don't worry, I'll wait." He said, knowing he sounded moronic, but trying to help you're little brother, who was almost as big as you, get undressed and into a HOT shower was not usually on his Things To Do Today list… if he actually kept lists.

It took over twenty minutes of holding his Sammy upright and under the shower letting the water work its magic before a sign of Sammy actually started to break to the surface. Amazed, Dean hadn't even known that a hot water heater could keep up with that type of demand. Considering himself lucky, he continued to help Sammy stay standing until he heard his little brother whisper, "Ready now."

By the time he maneuvered his brother out of the tub, sat him on the toilet seat, and turned off the water, Stephen was in there with a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved tee shirt. "Doc says these will help his muscles stay warm until they loosen up again on their own." He said handing them to Sammy.

Realizing that he was only in his boxers, Sam started to tense up again, but relaxed when he felt Dean's hand on his shoulder and saw Stephen smile at him. "It's ok kiddo, don't worry about it. We've seen each other naked, and let me tell you… you're not as scary as some of these other guys." Sam continued to look at Stephen as the other man helped him into the tee shirt. Then looked at him with amusement. "Well? We can't put the pants on with wet boxers, the question is can you take care of that your…" Sam grabbed the pants and had them halfway up his thighs before he reached into his pack and grabbed a knife quickly cutting the boxers so he could pull up the pants underneath then slipped the underwear off over the sweats.

Shocked, both Stephen and Dean could only stare for a moment before they both started laughing. "Well, I guess he showed us. Good thinking Sammy, but how about not doing that too much, ok? We still need to buy you some clothes and I'd hate to think of my little brother going 'commando', ok?" Dean said patting Sammy on the back then helping him in the living room where everyone waited patiently.

After looking Sam over again, Celia quickly noticed a few oddities, but was hoping to ask him about it in private. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Sighing, she looked at her patient again. "Ok Sam, I want you to relax. So, I want you to take a muscle relaxer… don't worry, it's mild but should help you unknot yourself. I'll leave a prescription for it in case it works and you want to continue taking them, ok?" she told him as she pulled a sample out of her bag and handed it to him. After watching him open the foil and take the pill, she went to talk to the group affectionately known as the 'Musketeers'.

"Hey doc, not to say that you don't know what you're doing, but you said that Sammy's muscles cooled down too much too fast, but he was trapped in the truck for close to three hours. Why's he reacting this way now?" Dean asked, not totally convinced about her diagnosis.

Celia looked at Dean and couldn't help but smile at his alert observation. 'Damn he's smart!' she thought in admiration. "Your right Dean, it's not all from the accident, but it is a contributing factor. I'd have to run some tests on him but from what I can tell, he more than likely has muscular and neurological damage… the accident just aggravated it to the point of seizing up." She noticed how all of them tensed at the news and she hated having to compound it. "Dean, how's your brother's vision?" when he did a double take and looked at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about, she couldn't help but feel a sinking in her gut. "I can't be sure of the extent of the damage, but I can tell he has a detached retina in his left eye. Dean, your brother is partially blind."

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Jenna had agreed to go with him to check on Sam and Joseph, and he couldn't have been happier. After going over his plan with her, she had reluctantly agreed and it would be nice to know that he wouldn't have to worry so much for his little girl. Who was he kidding, he'd always worry about her, but now maybe his blood pressure could drop a little knowing that someone would be watching over her.

Pulling up in front of the apartment building, they quickly got out and after a brief Q and A session with an old Hungarian woman next door, went inside, up the stairs and knocked on the door. When Taylor answered and let them in however, the Colonel had to wonder what had happened, because he felt like he had walked in on a funeral. Looking around, he saw Dean by the window staring out into nothing, while Stephen was close to Sam but looking as if he could break a railroad tie with his bare hands, Joseph was pacing in the kitchen and Taylor was brooding. Doctor Grey was there which made him both proud that Sam kept his word, and apprehensive that there might be something serious.

Jenna didn't seem to have any hesitation, as soon as she saw Sam lying on the couch she rushed over. "Sam, are you ok? I heard about an accident on the highway, was that you?" she asked, as she sat next to him and picked up one of his hands hoping that he wasn't hurt too bad.

"I'm fine Jenna, jus' sore." He told her, while trying to stay focused and giving her a small smile to show that he wasn't lying. They both hesitated when they heard Dean scoff over by the window. When Jenna looked at Sam questioningly he shook his head and closed his eyes.

Not liking how this was sounding, the Colonel motioned for the guys to follow him out onto the balcony and asked what was going on. After he had been completely filled in, he was more than a little amazed. "So, what you're saying is that not only has he been mistreated, basically tortured, he's also been blinded in one eye?" he asked to make sure that he heard correctly, then looked back at Dean, "and he still took on those guys at the beach?"

Dean heard the admiration in the Colonel's voice and he couldn't help but smile, "Yes sir, I guess so. I didn't think about it like that." He said, wondering _why_ he hadn't thought of it like that. Shaking his head he looked at the Colonel then at his brother's. "As bad as the scars are on his chest, back and arms are, the ones on his legs are just as bad. I can't help but wonder how he was able to keep going." He told them then was interrupted by a voice by the door.

"Because of you."

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Katie had already had a hell of a day and she was thankful to be back at home complete with fuzzy slippers, Ben and Jerry's, and her favorite talk show that she religiously recorded. Sitting down she had started watching and when she saw it had some overpriced shrink was peddling her latest book, she was going to fast forward to the next segment when something caught her attention and after rewinding it several times she knew her plans had suddenly changed for the night; she had to get to Dean.

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AN: I hope you liked it, let me know! 


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Ok... as promised, a glimpse to show _why_ Sammy is the way he is. Oh! To Alice: Thank you soooo much for the wonderful reviews, I appreciate each one and no, you aren't bugging me.

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Sam knew that he had to get up and move around or he would have trouble walking at all tomorrow; this wasn't the first experience he'd had with these muscle spasms, although he couldn't remember them ever being this bad. Telling Jenna that he'd be back he made his way to the balcony so he could make sure that Dean was alright; it wasn't everyday you saw a real freak up close and personal. He had just made it to the sliding glass door when he heard his brother wonder how he made it so long. Without hesitating, he answered honestly. "Because of you."

Dean turned around and couldn't help but wonder what his little brother was talking about. Because of him? Because of him, he had been left alone with a maniac. Because of him, he had to face the world alone instead of in the secure knowledge that his family would take care of him. Because of him, he had to suffer. "No Sammy, don't say that." Dean told him, having a hard enough time not coming unglued as it was without Sammy giving him absolution.

"Dean, all I knew was that you wouldn't want me to give up, that you would want me to stay strong, no matter what. I hung on to that for a very long time, because of you." Sam said sincerely, looking at his brother before turning around to go back into the living room. He hadn't made it a foot before he heard Dean.

"I never stopped looking for you." When Sam turned back Dean continued, "I drove these guys nuts; you're all I would talk about, or get information about. Other people would get letters saying how much they were missed and how much their family hoped they were being careful. I got letters, postcards, Fed-Ex's with information about your last known location, what people remembered when they saw you. You're right, I never wanted you to give up, but I never wanted you to go through that kiddo."

Sam was shocked, he stood there and looked at each men in turn and saw the truth in his brother's words. Smiling, he shrugged his shoulders "Then it worked out" he said, leaving five very confused men standing outside on the balcony wondering if they had missed something.

Any questions had to wait though, when they heard the knock at the door.

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After Katie was let into the apartment, she quickly got Dean's attention and after a brief moment, he pointed out his room then turned to the others. "We'll be right back, personal project." Then he was gone, having followed her into the room and closed the door.

Terrance knew that this was probably going to be the only time this evening he'd be able to speak to Sam; he walked over to the young man asking him to join him on the balcony. "Sam, your brother has told you the truth, he spent every spare moment looking for you, he never gave up."

Sam looked at the Colonel and nodded, not trusting his voice; he might be Jenna's father, but he's had his own experiences with dads and they weren't good.

Watching Sam, the Colonel knew that he needed to get to the point before the boy collapsed from exhaustion. "Sam, I need to ask you something, and I will need your immediate answer, ok?" When Sam nodded, Terrance started to explain, "Jenna's life is in danger; the men you protected her from were part of a kidnapping and possibly even a murder plot. Now we don't know who set it up, but I'm worried for my little girl, she's very special to me as well as the last reminder I have of her mother. I know that you can take care of her; I've seen you do it. She needs to have someone with her to keep an eye on her without interfering too much and that's where you come in. Sam, I want… no… I _need_ you to agree to be Jenna's bodyguard while she's at school and other standard functions; I'll pay you ten dollars an hour, as well as any expenses that occur. I figure that during a standard week you'd be in contact for the normal forty hours with before and after school activities thrown in, and during special events you will be paid extra. I know that she can be a social butterfly and likes to take off with friends, so to be honest, I expect extra expenses. Do you have any questions?"

"Yyyou ddon't kknow mme, ssssir." Sam said, clearly overwhelmed by the offer, especially after hearing how much he was going to be paid and just for staying next to Jenna.

Smiling, the Colonel nodded, "Sam, you have gone through hell and back, stayed with your brother when most people would have cut and ran, protected my daughter with no regard to your own safety. Believe me son, I know what's out there, and I believe that you are the best one for the job."

Looking in the living room, Sam watched Jenna talk to Dean's friends; his brothers, and smiled. Turning back to the Colonel he asked, "Sssshe knnnow?"

Nodding, the Colonel smiled, "To be honest Sam, I think she only agreed to this because I suggested you. She has a temper when she feels that she's not allowed to do the things she needs to do, so it's not going to be a piece of cake. I suspect she'll keep you on your toes enough for you to come back and demand more money."

Sam laughed, not able to imagine her doing anything that horrible. Besides, what he was being offered was more than enough; in fact it was too much. "Sssschool?" he asked, not wanting to admit the last time he had been in a classroom, but wondering how he was going to watch her and be in different classes.

Terrance knew he liked this kid; he's smart, to the point, and doesn't take anything for granted. "Jenna had to take a year off from school when her mother was ill, so she's a Freshman at Pembridge Academy, about five miles from here actually. It's very private, very elite, and I'm sure that I can arrange your schedule to match hers." He quickly held up his hand to cut Sam off, "It's an expense that I and the Foundation will be more than willing to pay, Sam. The question is, are you willing to be a Freshman yourself?"

Not sure what to do, but knowing that he had to make a decision; he knew that he had to make Jenna as safe as possible. Taking another quick look inside, he nodded his agreement, then added his own terms.

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Dean knew something bad had happened as soon as he saw Katie in the apartment. When she told him about the shrink on the local talk show and what caught her attention, he had to wonder if it was just a coincidence. Now that he was watching the interview though, he realized that it wasn't and someone was going to pay.

'_Dr. Long, you claim to have the answers to most behavioral problems with young people today. That is a remarkable claim, and yet you have been getting attacked by skeptics who, as you put it… haven't read the studies. In your book, you claim several successes, is there one that stands out the most to you?'_

'_Oh yes, definitely. A widower of six month came into my office with his only child, a twelve year old son who was suffering from delusions and was constantly acting out.'_

'_Can you elaborate? I mean, a twelve year old boy rebelling isn't something to worry about is it?'_

'_Well it is when the young man claims that his mother had died when he was a baby, twelve years previous, in a fire and that his brother "Dean" was looking for him.'_

'_Wow, you said the father had been…'_

'_been a widower for six month due to a car accident that the young boy was unfortunate to witness. I found that he used this "Dean" as a way to hold onto both his mother and his father, by having them combined into one person who would be his protector and friend, never letting him down; or this case, leave. However, after behavioral modification exercises, drug therapy, and even some of the more controversial treatments that I explain in the book, he has only had a few minor set backs that were easily rectified with specialized therapy and now seems to be having a better quality of life.'_

'_Specialized therapy, that sounds… unorthodox.'_

'_Basically, it reinforces the patient's support structure; in this case, his father was someone to trust. When the young man became lost in his delusions, all he had to do was look towards his father for guidance.'_

'_Someone with strong delusions often don't take their medication properly, isn't that correct? What would have happened if this young man skipped a dose or two?'_

'_Actually that is exactly what happened a few times, and the father had to resort to putting the medication in his food or beverage until he could bring his son back to me.'_

'_One of your critics say that your screening process is lax and leaves to many variables unguarded to where unneeded treatment and even unnecessary commitment can occur. How do you respond to this?'_

'_Really, why would anyone arrange for treatment of someone that was unnecessary, risking that persons well being. Now __that__ would be crazy.'_

'_Yes, I guess that would. Well, for everyone who is interested in your book signing, it's where again?'_

'_Today from 6pm to 9pm at the Hollingworth Book Store in the Easley Mall.'_

'_Thank you Dr…'_

Dean sat there numb, not knowing what to say or do. His mind was still running parts of the interview through his head, but he couldn't coincide with what he knew and what he heard. After a few moments he looked at the clock and knew what he had to do; he had a book to buy.

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Jenna knew that her Daddy and Sam were talking about her, and that was fine, but it was taking too long and she wanted to spend some time with Sam too. Walking to the balcony, she knew that she interrupted something serious, but refused to be intimidated by her own father. "So, did Daddy talk to you about being my bodyguard for awhile?" she asked, knowing full well that was the majority of the conversation.

Sam smiled at her, even if nothing could come out of knowing her except friendship, somehow she made him feel better about himself. "Yes, we worked out an arrangement."

"Uh huh, so, how much is this old tight wad paying you?" she teased giving her father a wink and a kiss on the cheek.

"Ten dollars an hour plus expenses."

She looked at Sam and grinned, "You know, you could have gotten a lot more."

"I would have done it for free."

By this time the Colonel couldn't stand it anymore, being on the outside of a conversation was never his forte. "Damn, if only I'd known…" he joked, making Jenna lightly hit him in the shoulder and he watched as Sam watched closely then smile.

"Too late sir, a deal's a deal." Sam quipped back, suddenly feeling that his brother had every right to trust this man.

Seeing movement in the living room, they all glanced inside and tried to figure out what was wrong. Dean grabbed a set of keys and was putting his leather jacket on, all the while Katie was frantically trying to get him to stop. Stephen, Joseph and Taylor suddenly looked shocked and rushed into Dean's room. Not knowing what was going on, Jenna opened the door slightly.

"Hey Dean, what's up?" Jenna asked, hoping that maybe diverting his attention would help bring some answers.

Dean turned around and looked at his Sammy who was starting to look very nervous. Crossing the room he promised, "I'll be right back, there's just something I need to take care of ok?" When Sammy looked at him questioningly, he asked, "Do you trust me?" There was no hesitation, just an automatic nod. "Ok then, I'll be back soon and when I am you and I are going shopping to spruce up that wardrobe of yours. Can't have the ladies thinking that you have a bum for a brother you know."

Sam smiled, he knew something was up, but also knew that there was no way he was going to get answers at the moment. "Sure Dean, see you soon."

As Dean was heading out the door though, he was closely followed by Stephen who glared at Dean when it was suggested that he stay at home. As the others came out of Dean's room, the quiet intensified until Jenna gave Sam's arm a squeeze. "I have a feeling that we're about to get in the way, so I'll see you tomorrow morning, ok?" she asked, seeing how tense he was getting, and not wanting to be the cause.

Escorting both Jenna and the Colonel to the door, Sam quickly said "Thank you sir." and shook the Colonel's hand before shutting and locking the door, losing himself in his own dreams of the added terms to the Colonel's proposition. 'Hopefully Dean won't find out until everything's said and done.'

Celia had waited around to make sure that Sam would be ok, and after seeing his movements improve she knew that he would feel like crap tomorrow, but he probably already knew that too. Allowing herself to be escorted to her car, she remembered the black truck and made sure to tell Taylor where it was so they could keep an eye out for it, not realizing as she drove home, she was being followed.

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Dean hated malls, they were always crowded with teeny boppers who usually had more money than sense, soccer moms who seemed to have a haggard look about them even though it was their choice to drag the whole team to the mall for ice cream, and don't forget about the over priced shops that advertised for every rhyme or reason. So now he was standing in line with the Quack's book he had to buy, just to get an up close and personal look at one of the people who made his little brother's life hell. _Nope, definitely not having a good time tonight._

While he was waiting, he had been skimming through the book and quickly picked up the case that she mentioned earlier in her interview. The more he read, the more it screamed out 'SAMMY', and the more it was taking Stephen's saintly patience to keep him in check. Periodically pointing certain things out about the treatment used, and the descriptions of how his brother would fight them until Dr. Long would inject him with a heavy duty sedative, made both men want five minutes alone with the woman. Dean couldn't wait to get up to her, he already knew what he was going to do, and there was no way he was leaving until he did.

He was next in line and as he listened to the lady in front of him gush over the 'doctor's' last book and how it had helped her family, Dean wanted to put her _and_ her family out of their misery. Before he could finish that thought though, his turn was up and as he walked up to the table, he buried his hate for her deep so he wouldn't choke. Taking out a picture that he kept in his wallet, he laid it on the table in front of her until he heard her shocked gasp.

"That picture was taken a month before I left home, you already know my father John and my little brother Sammy, but I don't believe we've met. I'm Dean, and you screwed with the wrong family."

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AN: Ok, I'm not sure if I should be hiding somewhere or not... um... any suggestions? 


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Ok... this is a bit longer than normal, but I hope you like it anyway. Thanks again to Sammygirl1963 who sometimes has to drag me kicking and screaming out in the open (virtually of course).

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Stephen knew that Dean was half way over the edge already and the so called doctor in front of them wasn't helping. He knew that his friend was going to do something rash and he also knew that there wasn't going to be much that he could do to stop it; so instead, he decided to do damage control. He had noticed the news crew that had come in to cover the book signing event, and it was very evident that the anchorwoman there just saw her latest story. Keeping in front of the camera was the easy part, but he knew there was no way to muffle Dean's voice as he laid into one of their little bro's tormentors.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what you mean…" Dr. Long said, all the while staring at the picture in shock.

"Excuse me? You don't know what I mean? You publish a book with my little brother plastered all over the inside of it, and you don't know what I mean? Your whole basis is that he was delusional because _one_ person said I didn't exist… WELL, HERE I AM! ARE YOU SATISFIED NOW!?!" Dean saw that she was trying to gather herself for some sort of defense, but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. "You took a twelve year old boy and made him think that he was crazy for believing that he had a big brother who loved him. How long did it take? HOW LONG?" he yelled. He knew that he was in the middle of tunnel vision, but right now she should feel lucky that he wasn't seeing red; _close to it, but not quite achieved – thank you very much_.

Dr. Long looked at the picture again then up at the man before her. "If what you say is true, then maybe the blame falls on you for allowing a person such as your father to have your brother in his care." She said, hearing the outraged gasps throughout the bookstore. 'Great, my publicist is going to have kittens when he hears about this.' She thought trying to figure out a way out of this mess. She of course remembered the boy, Samuel Winslow and his father John, but how was she supposed to know that it had been some sort of setup… "Oh, I understand now, your one of Tibbon's lackeys. Well you tell him this isn't going to work. I stand by what I said, and until you give me proof of your claim, then we are done here." She told Dean, effectively dismissing him.

Dean couldn't believe what he just heard, the woman had no soul. He'd hunted down and killed creatures with more humanity in them that what she was showing. Unfortunately for her, that threw him from the yellow headlong into the red. Dean jumped over the table and grabbed her by the suit jacket not registering that she wasn't putting up a fight until he had already slammed her against a bookcase. "Lady, you have no idea how long I looked for my family. Four years! I looked for my little brother for four years and always getting information about him in bits and pieces. How can you live with yourself? Do you know what he went through? Do you even care how our father carved into him like a roast duck? How about how he is now? He won't drink from a glass, cup or anything that could have had something put in it. He won't take medicine unless it's from a new bottle or new package. YOU did that to him… YOU!" Seeing what he had done, he was about to release her when he heard her whisper.

"Those were self inflicted, he was doing self harm as a way to act out; he told me himself. You can't blame that on me!"

Looking down at her, he finally asked, "He confessed to self harm. He said that _he_ carved his arms like that? Tell me _doctor_, was our father in the room at the time, or how about if you were threatening him with more drugs or _specialized_ therapy? Your right, _we're_ done here, but be prepared to lose everything because lady we're taking it _all_."

It wasn't until he and Stephen were getting into the Suburban that Dean spoke again. "I lost it man, I totally lost it."

Looking over at his friend, he shook his head and answered. "It was justified man, don't sweat it. We'll call the Colonel when we get back, get some big name attorney to take the case and make sure you don't land in jail. The book itself should be evidence enough to show how the strain of knowing what happened to Sammy threw you over the edge."

Dean looked back at Stephen and nodded. God he was so tired. It was days like this that made him look forward to a mission with a good old fashioned firefight thrown in; combat made sense, someone shoots at you, you shoot back - it was dealing with people that drove him crazy.

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Sam, Taylor, Katie and Joseph had been playing cards on the balcony when the sprinkles started to stain the cards and drove them back in the apartment. Both Taylor and Joseph were amazed at how the kid could make a game of poker sound like the greatest thing in the world. Looking at each other they both silently agreed; Dean was right the kid's laugh is contagious.

They had trouble deciding whether to continue the game inside or call it a night and watch one of the movies that the cable channels were running in lieu of football. As the playful arguing continue, in which it looked like another game was going to be played just for the chance that Taylor might win his money back, the front door opened.

"Hey Dean! We were playing poker; you want us to deal you in? Hold on though, I have to get the table from outside." Sam said as he turned to go back out.

"Sammy…" Dean said, knowing that he had to tell his little brother what happened. Knowing that he had to tell all of it, including manhandling a woman; ok, so she was an _evil_ woman, she was still a woman and that's something that he had always taught his little brother, no hitting girls – no matter what!

Sam turned around, he knew that tone. Dean was upset about something and didn't know how to bring it out in the open. He waited a moment, giving Dean an 'ok, I'm listening' look, but still Dean wouldn't look at him.

Taylor and Joseph looked between Dean and Stephen and knew that something happened, and it wasn't good. Katie had been worried about a confrontation just by the way they had left the apartment, and now it looked like her fears were justified. It was obvious that they had seen the bitch, Dean was holding her book in his hand, but what wasn't obvious was what had them so upset.

Dean could barely get the words out. How was he supposed to tell his Sammy that he knew what John and the doctor did to him? How was he supposed to tell him that part of his life was in black and white for the world to see? Clearing his throat he continued, "Sammy… we need to talk." He started, and noticed how Sammy's whole demeanor changed with those few words. "Sammy, I had to go take care of something, and I did something that I'm not very proud of…" he stopped when he saw the fear in his brother's eyes. It took him a moment to realize that Sammy was looking at something in his hand. Looking down, he saw the book with the crazy doctor's face in full color on the front. Looking up he saw Sammy backing away from him and onto the balcony. "Sammy, no… you don't understand!" he said, rushing towards his brother hoping to get to him in time.

Seeing what happened and comprehending it were two totally different things. One moment Dean is trying to explain, the next they all were watching Sammy swing himself over the edge of the balcony into the back yard and disappear over the neighbors fence. Reason finally took hold once again and they all ran after him, trying to figure out where he might go.

Dean didn't know whether to be pissed or proud. He already knew that he was pissed off at himself for having the book out in the open before he talked to Sammy. Then again, he was proud of his brother for his great impersonation of an elk. _Damn, he can run!_ Taylor and Stephen were searching the neighborhood by car, while he and Joseph were hoping to pick up his trail and quickly follow. Katie went back to the apartment in the hopes that he would double back. It was a great plan, until Sammy lost them by rushing inside one of the mega-stores that had popped up recently. After fanning out, they searched extensively for twenty minutes until a security guard walked up and, after finding out what was going on, told them that he had seen Sammy walk out the door with a bunch of people fifteen minutes previous. Growling in frustration, Dean conceded that they needed to regroup and they headed back to the apartment to call the only other people that Sammy knew in town.

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Terrance had been sitting in the living room watching some sort of mushy movie with Jenna when she started sneezing making his heart stop. Normal people wouldn't react that way, but he had found out the hard way that a severe illness can disguise itself in the most mundane ways. Not wanting to take a chance he had sent Jenna upstairs for a hot shower and an early night when the phone in his study started ringing.

"Erickson here." He said trying to be as abrupt as possible to let whoever it was know that he wasn't in the mood for a lengthy conversation.

"_Colonel"_

"Dean? What wrong? Dean… you still there?"

"_I- It's Sammy sir, I did something… and now he's gone. DAMN IT!... Sorry sir…uh, you might be getting a call from the cops, and maybe an attorney, OH! And I think I really screwed up with Sammy…"_

"Dean, start from the beginning… what happened?"

After a lengthy explanation, the Colonel made a mental note of the people he would need to call in the morning. Until then he needed to get Dean to calm down before he went out and got himself into some _real_ trouble.

"Ok, you know that Sam was ok when he left your place, that's good. Now, we know that he hasn't met a lot of people, which narrows things down a bit since he's not familiar with the area. Now that we know that, we can hope that he just needs some time to wrap his head around what's going on. You said that he probably thinks that you were going to hand him over to this Dr. Long, correct?" he asked, trying to get a response. After he heard confirmation, he sighed. "Dean, is there any reason why he would think that besides what he saw?"

Dean knew where the Colonel was going with this, but he couldn't allow himself to hope; he'd been burned by that too many times. Stepping out in the rain Dean was suddenly hit by the mental image of Sammy in a pair of thin sweatpants and a tee shirt. "Damn, Colonel, we need to find him; I can't lose him again."

Smiling, the Colonel understood the sentiment. Finally he asked, "Tell me, if you had him in front of him right now, what would you do?"

"You mean _after_ I smacked him upside the head for scaring the crap out of me?" Dean asked letting his mind wander to what he would do when Sammy came home.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." the Colonel smirked, "Don't worry, he might be scared, but he waited too long to find you. He'll come back, if for nothing else than to let you send him back. Think about that, son."

Puzzled, Dean couldn't help but wonder what the Colonel had been smoking, but then decided that it wasn't any of his business. Finally agreeing to let the Colonel know when Sammy came home, he cut the call and looked out into the darkness. 'Where are you Sammy?'

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It had been hours since Sammy took off and everyone had been going in and out of the apartment to meet up and try another section of town. During one of the rendezvous, Dean noticed that Sammy had left his backpack behind.

Walking over to it, he kicked the pack across the room. "More like he'd come back just to get that damn thing. What's so important about it, anyway?" he asked to no one in particular while picking it up. Pausing for only a moment he had started to unzip it when a hand stopped him.

Looking up he saw Stephen watching with sympathetic eyes. "Do you really think this is the way to gain his trust?"

Feeling as if he had been pushed off a cliff, Dean wasn't sure what to do anymore. He knew that whatever Sammy guarded in the pack was important to him, but what if it held a clue to where he would go? Shaking his head he put the pack next to the couch and looked at the others. "Anything?"

There were multiple negatives and one silent answer. Katie was still on the phone but she was starting to get excited. After several 'Thank You so much' and 'yes, yes, we will', she hung up the phone. "A taxi picked up a hitchhiker, he described the person as a 'scrawny assed kid with the worst case of acne scars he'd ever seen and he looked like a drowned rat that had the crappiest day ever.'" Everyone looked at each other before they agreed, then turned to Katie, "Did you get an address?" Dean asked, hoping that maybe something was going right tonight.

Katie's only response was to smile brightly and hand him a piece of paper.

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It had past midnight a half hour ago and he still couldn't get to sleep. After checking on Jenna again, he walked back downstairs to see if he could bore himself to sleep with infomercials. Yawning he was almost to the living room when he heard the doorbell. 'What the…?'

Terrance wasn't known to be irrational, but when someone rang his doorbell in the middle of the night, it was _never_ a good thing. Grabbing his pistol in one hand and prepared to open the door with the other, he looked through the side window to see what he was dealing with. Swinging open the door, he couldn't help but exclaim "What the hell Sam?" he asked, already knowing the answer but not able to find anything else to say.

Ten minutes later Sam was quite a bit warmer, and Terrance was quite a bit calmer. As they both sat in the living room with a fire in the fireplace, Terrance drinking a scotch and Sam drinking a bottled water, the moment of truth came about.

"Dean called, he's worried about you."

Sam nodded, not looking up from his hands. He's been replaying what happened in his head, and he still wasn't able to figure it out. Had he done something wrong? Was it because he was such a freak? What was he supposed to do now? He had a job, but now it was probably gone, no way the Colonel would want his daughter around such a screw up. Not knowing what else to do, he started to look around the room until his gaze found a large picture over the fireplace. He became transfixed and didn't even realize that he was standing in front of it until the Colonel spoke.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Terrance asked, knowing what must be going through Sam's head. "Jenna looks so much like her, both in body and in spirit. We lost her a couple of years ago, my beautiful Jillian, and I have to say that we haven't been the same. Did Jenna tell you how she died?" he asked, looking at the young man standing in front of him. Walking until he stood shoulder to shoulder with Sam, he continued. "My wife and I tried to have children for several years, but for whatever reason we were made to wait. Finding out we were going to finally be parents was one of the happiest moments for us. Everything went smoothly with the pregnancy, which the doctors called amazing. Finally, the day came and we were both ecstatic, and the doctors were sure it would be as easy of a delivery as the pregnancy. It wasn't until the next day that we realized something was wrong, Jenna wasn't coming and Jillian was getting exhausted. Her doctor came to us and told us the news, Jenna was going into distress and they couldn't wait any longer, they were going to have to do an emergency C-section. God, we were terrified, but they assured us everything would be alright. I had to wait in the waiting room, and before long, they brought out my beautiful daughter. Sam, I have never thought about angels, but I did at that moment. It wasn't until later when the doctor came out that I knew something was wrong. Jillian was hemorrhaging, and they were doing everything they could to stop it. I stayed with Jenna in the nursery until they came for me; Jillian was stable and was being transfused. That should have made it better, my wife was alive, my daughter healthy; everything was perfect."

Sam looked at the Colonel and was afraid he knew what happened, but didn't want to intrude on the older man's thoughts. He waited and continued to look at Jenna's mother, seeing how beautiful Jenna would be later in life.

"Jillian came down with the flu when Jenna was a little over six months old, nothing unusual considering how many people she would visit, or committees she was on. She couldn't seem to get rid of though, it was months before the doctors could tell us what was really wrong with her, and that was only because others who had been given blood from the same donor were becoming ill. The screening process for blood donors was a lot different in 1983, the testing not as extensive as it is now. Let me tell you Sam, you really find out who your friends are when you get diagnosed with HIV. That's why she formed the Jenna Foundation, she wanted there to be hope in something so feared and spurned. She knew that she could afford treatments that were considered experimental, while others couldn't even afford some of the basic treatments, so the Foundation helps with the cost and even sponsors a free clinic in L.A." The pain of losing her was still with him, but he needed to make sure how much his daughter meant to not just him, but others as well. "The official cause of death was Pulmonary Embolism, not that it mattered; she's still gone. We are very lucky that we had as much time as we did though, and Jenna feels that her mother is still with us with everyday the Foundation helps someone."

Sam wasn't sure if he was supposed to say anything, but he did understand stereotyping and prejudice, he didn't want either for Jenna or the memory of her mother. "I understand sir." He said hesitantly, not sure if he was still needed, or even wanted, but he had to make sure that the Colonel knew that he wasn't going to judge his wife.

Any other conversation was interrupted by the doorbell, and the Colonel was sure that it was a good thing he was already up and about, otherwise he would have shot someone by now. Motioning Sam to stay there, he went to answer the door, and wasn't too surprised by who he found.

Sam was still enjoying the fire and daydreaming about Jenna when he heard his name from the doorway. Tensing at the sound, he couldn't help but feel comforted at the same time; he'd waited so long to hear it, but now it seemed like it was all falling apart. Taking a deep breathe, he turned to see his brother walking hesitantly towards him.

When Dean saw Sammy standing in front of the fireplace obviously in his own little world, he couldn't help the tendrils of fear that crept up letting him know that his brother could take off again; but losing him again wasn't an option. "Sammy" he choked out, concerned Sammy would run. Not sure if he had been heard, he walked further into the room until his brother turned and looked at him.

"Hey Dddean." Sammy said while trying hard to smile, but failing miserably.

Dean felt awful, he knew that Sammy had to have been freaked, but he didn't realize until now how much. "Sammy, you worried me kiddo… I've been looking for you everywhere."

Nodding, Sam couldn't look at Dean anymore, he wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he knew that he would have at least a few good memories to take with him.

"Sammy, listen to me. I saw that bitch doctor and I … damn it Sammy, I'm sorry… I grabbed her and roughed her up." At Sammy's shocked face, Dean felt awful and rushed on "I know I taught you to…" He was cutoff in mid-sentence when Sammy grabbed him in a hug and wasn't showing any signs of letting go. It wasn't until he felt his neck getting more wet than what it was already that he understood what was going on. "Ah Sammy, no… I wasn't going to give you to her. I wanted to confront her, about… uh, Sammy, look at me." He didn't want to do this here, but he needed his little brother to understand. "She wrote a book, and she used your case in it. Don't worry though, she didn't use your name, but there's enough in there to show that she meant you. I'm sorry buddy; I really am, but… I read what happened."

Sam didn't know what to say, he was still shocked that he wasn't going back. Now Dean was saying that he knew what she did, what dad had done, he didn't know what to say, just looked at his brother and waited.

"I don't blame you, for any of it. I don't blame you for the way you do things. I just wish I had known, that we could have talked about it, but I get that you're not ready. I just need to know, is there anything else that I probably should know… that maybe you're not ready to talk about?" Dean watched as Sammy thought a moment, sighed, and then nodded. "Ok, well…how about this. I won't push, and you don't run off anymore, ok?"

Looking at his brother, Sam saw how worried Dean really had been. Smiling he nodded, "Ok, Dean. No more running off."

The brothers were just about to leave when the Colonel halted them at the door. "Don't forget this boys." He said, handing Dean an official looking envelope. "It's the guardianship papers for Sam. I forgot to give them to you. Now, get going, old men like me need their sleep."

Dean and Sam were both smiling as they got in the Suburban. Dean looked over at Sammy while starting the SUV, "Let's go home little brother."

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AN: Well, uh... jeez, you know what to do... 


	15. Chapter 15

The ride home had been quiet with Sammy in the passenger seat alternating between dozing and jerking awake, making Dean keep a closer eye on him than the road. Finally pulling up to the apartment, Dean looked at his brother and sighed. It was obvious that the kid had been put through the wringer, it showed in his face. Not wanting to wake him, but knowing Sammy couldn't spend the night in the passenger seat, Dean reached over and gently put his hand on his little brother's shoulder; not expecting the reaction that came from it.

Sam had been dozing off and on since getting in the Suburban and driving with his brother down the road. He had just made it back to that in between place of not completely asleep but not at all awake when he felt a hand on his shoulder and reacted by reaching out and grasping his attacker with his left hand and rearing his right back to swing out; it wasn't until the voice behind the elusive words broke through his fog that he realized what he had almost done. Horrified, he managed to open the door and fall backwards onto the pavement before his brain could catch up with what his brother was saying.

As soon as his hand laid on Sammy's shoulder, he knew he messed up. When his brother reacted out of pure instinct his only response was "Sammy, it's me… it's me Dean!!!!" knowing that it wasn't going to be easy to get through to him, but he kept trying. When he finally saw his little brother was back he was relieved, until he saw the fear in his eyes, and watched as Sammy fell back onto the concrete. "Damn it!" he said rushing out of the Suburban and to his brother who was looking around as if he'd never seen the place before. "Hey… hey Sammy, it's ok. We're home, ok? Sammy?" It took a minute of constant rambling before he finally heard the most beautiful sound he knew.

"Dean? Wha… what happened? Are we home?" Sam asked, completely confused as to why he was on the pavement with his brother looking at him with concern in his eyes. "Dean?"

All Dean could do for a moment was collapse next to Sammy, "It's ok little brother, you were asleep and had a bad dream, that's all. How about we get upstairs and get some shut eye?" Dean asked knowing that Sammy had no recollection of what happened and there was no way that he was going to compound his worries by filling him in. Helping Sammy up, they made their way to the apartment and hadn't made it fully in the door when the onslaught started.

"Sammy, you're ok."

"Little bro, don't do that again… had us worried sick."

"Hey buddy, you alright."

"Ok ok… enough, he's fine and dandy, leave him be. Jeez, you all are acting like a bunch of old women." Dean said as he shouldered his way past the guys and right in front of Katie. "Hey, you're still here."

"Actually, I was just leaving. Just so you know though… that's _two_ dinners you owe me now." She said as she turned her attention to Sammy. "I'm glad you're ok Sam, and don't let these guys bully you ok?" she teased as she left.

Looking around Sam didn't know what to say, he had left without thinking about any of them, and right now he was too tired to even apologize. Swaying where he stood he finally made out what Dean was saying and it woke him up faster than the cold rain could.

"… and we'll get a bed so you can share my room instead of sleeping on the couch…"

"No Dean, don't!" he exclaimed, not wanting his brother to be put out any more than he already was, "the couch is great, a lot better than what I'm used to."

Dean couldn't help him but smirk a little, "Yeah, I remember some of those motel beds… hard as rocks and the smells; UGH! Seriously Sammy…" he saw a flicker of something that crossed his brother's face and he had to wonder about it. "Sammy? What is it? Is it about the bed? Hey I already told you I sympathize and we'll get you one… Sammy, what the…" he couldn't understand why Sammy kept shaking his head.

"You don't understand Dean; the couch is more than good enough, better than good… really." Sam told Dean not feeling comfortable with getting into details, but having the good sense to know what was next.

Looking around the room, Dean looked at the guys who were watching the scene unfold, then let out a small chuckle, "Come on Sammy, I know what being on the road is like, you sleep on whatever you have and feel lucky when you can drop into a sleazy motel to crash on a real bed; been there done that." When he noticed that he wasn't getting a response he stood in shock, then in outrage, "It's not like you didn't have a place to sleep Sammy… I mean, really, it's not like Dad was going to lock you in the Impala…" Dean knew the answer, he didn't have to look into his brother's eyes, he just knew. "He locked you in the IMPALA?" he yelled, not caring that it was the middle of the night, or that the ladies downstairs could hear, he only cared about finding out one basic detail; where the hell had slept for the past four years.

Sam had known it was coming, he sensed it before it hit and he had no idea how to defuse the situation. Too tired his mind was slow in coming up with something, _anything_, to divert the subject, but kept coming up blank. He knew he ran out of time when his brother yelled out… "Answer me…"

"Actually, it's not like I couldn't get out…" he began trying to sound casual, and immediately regretting his choice of words when Dean rushed across the room towards him. He knew that he owed Stephen and Taylor a huge favor for stepping in front of him, the look on Dean's face was murderous and he had only seen that look aimed at some nasty baddie that dared to hurt him; but he'd never seen it aimed at him, ever.

"You think this is funny? I busted my ass looking for you and you feel that you can crack jokes?" Dean demanded, not even registering that his friends were trying to keep him from his little brother. All he knew was that one minute he was scared about what had happened to his brother, the next he couldn't help but think that it had been some sort of joke and that threw him over the edge for the second time that night.

Joseph stood in front of Sammy knowing that if Dean got hold of the kid, then someone was going to get seriously hurt. He knew that seeing Dean like this had thrown Sammy into a tailspin, he could tell just by the way he had tensed up and was looking at the floor again, but damn it, why couldn't things be easy. "Dean! Stop! He wasn't making light of what you did for him! Damn it! Calm down! Damn it Dean…" he yelled into Dean's face, making the other man focus on him. "Did you stop to think to let him finish, or maybe to answer your question? With everything we already know do you really think that if Sammy could have left, he wouldn't have? Think man!"

Dean stopped suddenly and realized what he had almost done. Looking past Joseph, he saw his little brother and wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out. It was as if everything they had gained was now lost, as he saw his brother stand there and take the accusations as if he deserved them. "God… I'm… Oh God, Sammy… I'm sorry. Sammy? Look at me ok?" He knew he was begging, but he couldn't bear not to know the damage he'd done to his little brother. _Why did he react that way? Why couldn't he just let it go? So much for not pushing._

Sam stood there, listening to Dean ask for him to look up, but he couldn't. Dean had been right; maybe he should have tried harder or maybe should have just sucked it up. That would have been better, if he hadn't tried so many times before to run, then maybe…

"Sammy?" Joseph asked softly, "Hey buddy, look I like the couch as much as the next guy… great for naps or watching TV, but why do you like it so much?"

Shrugging his shoulders he answered quietly but honestly, "I usually slept either in the Impala or on the floor." When he saw the questioning glances he continued "Rooms with doubles cost more."

Dean had to sit down; he had known John to cut corners now and again, but not like that. Not to sacrifice something so basic just to save a few bucks. Knowing this, he had to ask, "Where did you stay when he was on a hunt?"

"Most of the time I went with him, when I didn't he locked me in the bathroom."

Dean paled when he heard that, that meant one of two things… either he took Sammy on the week long hunts, or left him in a bathroom that long. Cringing, Dean was about to ask more questions when Sammy looked at him.

"Can we talk more later, I'm really tired, and I start working tomorrow."

Any movement in the apartment was paused as everyone's attention was immediately focused on Sammy. "Work Sammy? Doing what?" Stephen asked, hoping that little bro hadn't gotten in over his head somehow.

Seeing that no one was going to stop him, Sam made his way to the couch, "Watching over Jenna. The Colonel says she's been threatened." He mumbled more into the pillow than out of it.

Taylor knew he was about to take advantage of the situation, but he saw this as the perfect opportunity to find out something that had been bothering them. "Sammy, did he hurt your eye?"

Almost asleep, Sam could only mumble but what he did made their blood run cold. "uhn uh… Min'sota…demons… river…"

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Sam knew what time it was without even looking at a clock, 4am. No matter what time he went to bed, he always woke up at the same time every morning. Sighing to himself, he tried to block the conversation from earlier out of his mind, but when he failed at that he got up picked up his backpack and started his morning routine.

Joseph was still yawning as he stumbled into the kitchen, the smell of coffee luring him the whole way. Being from a farm he was used to early mornings, but damn he didn't have to like them. He saw a note on the table and smiled. _Gone running be back by five fifteen_, _Sam _'Well, at least he left a note before he ran off.' He looked at the clock on the stove and saw that the kid should be back in about ten minutes, and hoped that Sammy would be ok with everyone considering what happened earlier.

Stephen almost walked into Dean when they both got to the kitchen at the same time. Shocked to see Dean up before his alarm, Stephen let him pass. "Hey Joseph, you make coffee again?" he asked as they grabbed their cups from the cupboard and sat down.

"You two are morons, you know that? First off, the coffee tastes better than anything any of us has dug up. Second, have you looked on the couch? You two are real observant aren't you? Remind me not to have you watch my back, ok?" Joseph groused, knowing that what he said made both men panic. "Sit down! He left a note; he's on his morning run. Jeez, and _I'm_ an old woman?"

Dean couldn't help but wonder about what Joseph said, "His morning run, huh…wonder how long he's out." Then he started to think about what he said, "Shit! He's out there by himself, I need to find him!"

"Sit down; he should be back in about five minutes. Then he'll go and take a shower, get dressed and be back out here just about the time your alarm goes off and you come stumbling in for your first cup of coffee. Does that make you happy?" Joseph said trying to keep Dean from doing something that could very easily alienate their Sammy.

Sitting at the table stunned, Dean wondered how he missed that about his brother. He was still in deep concentration when he heard Joseph interrupt his thoughts.

"Ok, I could be wrong. He's late, and he's _never_ late." Joseph said as he was walking into the living room to see if he could see anything out the window. It was another few minutes before the others heard. "Sweet Jesus!" and saw Joseph throw open the door to let a very haggard and thrashed looking Sammy in the door. Before any of them could say anything, Sammy headed to the bathroom tossing an "I'm fine" over his shoulder. It didn't take long for the shower to be heard, and a few minutes later turn off, they all could hear movement and muffled cursing, but nothing that deemed necessary to intrude even though they kept asking if they could help. It wasn't until they realized that he was cleaning the bathroom that they started to get really concerned, was he hurt worse than they thought?

Finally, the door opened and a freshly showered, freshly bandaged Sammy walked out with dirty clothes in hand and headed toward their small washing machine. After getting that sorted out, he grabbed a soda from the fridge sat down and drank half of it before looking at Dean "I think it was Dad." He said just before he dashed back into the bathroom and emptied his stomach.

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AN: hope you liked it... let me know! 


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Ok, I know this seems short, but it just seemed soooo right!

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Taylor was one of those rare yet odd people who could stay up for three days without any problems, but if he was woke up before getting in at least six hours of solid sleep then there was hell to pay. So after everyone else went to bed with the promise of talking more later, he started surfing the internet while simultaneously playing a flight simulation knowing he only had a few hours to sleep anyway. When he heard someone quietly moving about in the living room, he automatically knew it was Sammy and that it was four in the freaking morning. He also knew that if Dean found out what the kid did by himself at four in the morning, he'd freak. So, it had made some sort of sense to go jogging with him just to make sure that big brother didn't lose his temper for the third time in twenty four hours, he really hadn't expected that Sammy would need back up on the jogging trail. 

Neither one had said anything, but Taylor had the sneaking suspicion that Sammy wasn't going his normal speed and was slacking off so he could keep up. He had noticed the change about half into the run, the kid's whole demeanor changed; a lot more relaxed. That continued until they were crossing a park and they heard the sound of a large engine coming up on them fast. Turning slightly, Taylor saw a big black truck on the grass of the playing field they were cutting through and it was heading straight for Sammy.

His intention had been to tackle Sammy out of the way, but instead, little bro dodged to the side and narrowly missed being clipped by the truck. When the vehicle slid around to take another crack, it was Sammy who yelled to head for the trees. The both had just cleared the treeline when they heard the truck skid into first a young sapling, then a small oak. Both knowing that whoever was in that truck wasn't going to give up, they took off towards the apartment in hopes of getting there first. However, just as they were a block away, the truck appeared again and sped up to overtake them. When it was obvious that whoever it was wasn't going to give up with them on the street, they both took to the yards. Thinking back now, Taylor saw both the logic and the flaw in that. Off the road, the truck had more obstacles, unfortunately so did they.

Taylor had just told Sammy to go ahead that he'd catch up when the boy jumped over Mrs. Rhineholtz's shrub barrier, only to land on her toddler's Tonka truck and go head over heals into the, thankfully not blooming, rosebushes. Seeing that Sammy had managed to pull himself out without any problems, they both continued their sprint towards the apartment. "Get inside Sammy, now!" he yelled, coming up with a plan in his head.

Now, after hot wiring his own Camero; he was following a big black truck down the street at five in the morning. _One thing about it, I can't complain about being bored anymore._ Knowing that whoever it was behind the wheel of the other vehicle was the same one that ran Joseph and Sammy off the road made him more determined to catch up to the guy and teach him a lesson in manners. However, keeping up with the maniac wasn't the problem; getting him off the road was. For the twentieth time since the chase began he was wondering why he hadn't taken the Suburban, and then remembered the last time he took Stephen's car without permission; he shivered at the memory.

Seeing the road signs ahead pointing to the highway, Taylor wanted to get in front of the truck in hopes to slow it down that way. As he revved the Camero's engine and pulled forward, the truck hit the brakes and slid to the right, effectively sending it down another road. By the time he turned around and drove down the same street; the truck and it's driver was gone.

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It took a moment for Dean's brain to catch up with not only Sammy's words, but his actions as well. Looking at Stephen and Joseph, they all ran to the bathroom to see the youngest of their little family heaving into the toilet with his back to them. Dean had just stepped into the bathroom when they all heard a very hoarse plea.

"Leave…" Sam told them, wanting to suffer through this alone. It was bad enough that he could have sworn he saw his dead father drive a truck straight at him, but now he had to embarrass himself by puking in front of everyone. Not hearing any other movement, he tried again. "Leave, _please!_"

Dean wasn't about to abandon his little brother to the porcelain god, so became conveniently temporarily deaf. Reaching to the towel rack he grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the facet a moment before reaching around and placing it on his little brother's neck. When Sammy tensed he knew that the kid was more wiped out than they initially thought. "Ok little brother, let's get you cleaned up, then you're laying down for awhile…"

Sam felt the cloth go from his neck to his face and he couldn't help the panic that surfaced, "DEAN… LEAVE IT!" he yelled, seeing his brother's face, he tried to reign in his own fears and finished, "I can do it, I'll be ok… just… just give me a minute."

Looking at Sammy, Dean was swinging between shock and anger. Knowing that anger wasn't going to get them anywhere he turned and brushed past Stephen and Joseph just in time to see Taylor walk in. "Where have you been?" he asked, realizing that he hadn't known that the other man hadn't been home.

"Following that prick that tried to run down our little bro. Thought I had him too, but he ditched me… damn it!" Taylor fumed, he wanted to get his hands on that guy so damn bad! "Speaking of Sammy, he ok? Where is he?" he asked looking around.

It wasn't until they heard a muffled answer that they saw the bathroom door had been closed, and by the sounds of it Sammy was cleaning the bathroom again. After a few minutes the door opened and Sammy looked at Taylor. "Hey, thanks for the diversion."

Taylor couldn't help himself; he started laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. "Yeah, well next time use the opportunity to come up with a better plan than becoming part of a flower garden."

Confused the guys stared at each other then at Taylor and Sammy, sure that the two had lost their minds. It wasn't until Taylor had brought them all up to speed on what happened that they understood what they were talking about. "So it's true, John just tried to kill Sammy – again!" Dean said pacing back and forth wanting so badly to find his father and kick him through the gates of Hell.

"He doesn't want me dead, Dean." Sam said as he watched his brother drive everyone crazy with his pacing.

"Oh yeah, how do you know Sammy, 'cause it sure sounds like it to me." Dean asked angrily.

Sam took another soda out of the fridge and replied, "Well for one he's dead, and for two if he wanted me dead, you would have never have found the body."

That statement stopped them all cold. Looking back at Sammy, Dean wasn't sure how to take what he heard. "Sammy?"

"Dean, he just wanted to scare me, that's all. If he wanted me dead, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you."

He couldn't believe the crap that just came out of his little brother's mouth. Sure John was good, but even he made mistakes; funny how he never saw them while they all were still together. "Oh sure… he's just playing with you. Making you wonder where he's going to pop up next. Right! You make him sound more like a stalker than what he is… some nutjob bastard that made your life hell for years Sammy! So, quit defending him!"

Joseph could see where this was heading and they needed to get it back on track. "Sammy, why do you think he's not trying to kill you?" Saying it out loud sounded stupider than it did in his head, but it got Dean to shut up and listen.

Knowing that everyone was watching him, Sam waited; hoping that he'd die of some sudden heart attack or something, anything to get him out of this. "It's… I won't say it's nothing, but… it's… complicated." Sam told them, trying to stall for time. When they continued to look at him he knew that they weren't going to let him off that easily. Sighing, he hoped that he'd be able to give the bare minimum because he was up for full disclosure yet. "I have one more thing to do, then he'll let me go, but it's not time yet."

Smirking, Dean watched Sammy squirm. He knew that look, his little brother was hiding something and by damn he was going to find out what. "Oh yeah, what's this one little thing that you have to do for him, huh? You have to fix the Impala and give it back? What you have to find a unicorn in the land of dragons? What the hell Sammy is that you have to do to make him happy enough not to bother you anymore?"

"I have to bring Mom back." Sam said quietly, looking down at the table.

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AN: Well? Watcha thinking? 


	17. Chapter 17

AN: I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! If you don't celebrate it, then I hope you have a great day anyway!

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Terrance had known that he wasn't going to get back to sleep, so instead of watching commercials of things that he was thankful that he could live without, he sat in Jenna's room to watch her sleep. He remembered doing the same with Jillian, just watching her breathe was enough to calm his nerves and release tension that would build for weeks. Now though, he was watching his daughter because he knew that one day she would have a family of her own and he wouldn't be there to watch her dream peacefully.

Looking at the clock he saw that it was five in the morning, he had an hour before Jenna's alarm would go off and she'd hit the ground running again. She was too young for a lot of the responsibilities that she put on herself, but those responsibilities were the very things that made her _Jenna_.

Smiling to himself, he reached over and turned off her alarm. He knew there would be hell to pay when she woke up, especially with the Jubilee being in less then two weeks, but this was the one thing he could do to make sure that she was rested and healthy to continue her juggling act of home, school, volunteering and Foundation work.

Now he just had to remember to call Sam and tell him to go back to sleep; he was going to need it.

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The disbelief that echoed through the kitchen was enough to make Sam press back against his chair and subconsciously plan an escape route. It was one voice that cut through the chaotic noise in Sam's head and made him look back up.

"What was that Sammy? You have to do what?" Dean asked, sure that he heard wrong; he _had_ to have heard wrong.

Clearing his throat he said again, "I have to bring Mom back, then he'll let me go." He didn't want to tell Dean the rest, and especially how their dad promised to let him die if he did that one little thing for him.

"You mean like Necromancy? That's _crazy_! Doesn't he remember all the _things_ we had to get rid of because someone…"

"No Dean, she'd be her, just like she was." When Dean pressed for more information he found himself sharing the burden that he wished he never had. "Dad found a way to bring her back, a ritual or something that will undo bad deals." He could tell Dean was confused, and by the looks of the others at the table he wasn't the only one.

"What deal Sammy?" Stephen asked, knowing by the expression on Sammy's face that no one, especially Dean was going to like it.

"The deal that took Mom away from you and Dad, and left me instead."

Dean stood there staring at Sammy before his grasp of what was said finally penetrated. "That doesn't make any sense, there wasn't any deal. There was no…"

"It fits in a way Dean… Mom gave her life for me. She died on the ceiling above my crib. In exchange, I lived. That's the basis for him not killing me; I have to be around to bring Mom back."

Joseph couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So, what happens to you? Do you die instead?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "We don't know what the real purpose of that night was. Whatever the purpose, is what will happen, and set everything right again."

"Oh like hell! No way! Sammy, you cannot believe that crap… Mom is gone and nothing and I mean _nothing_ can bring her back!" Dean said, knowing that his little brother looked like he was about to lose what was left in his stomach again.

Not bothering to look at his brother anymore, Sam's gaze fell to his hands still grasping the soda as if it were a lifeline. "You asked Dean, now you know." There was no way he'd tell his brother the rest of it, not if he could help it. He was being selfish, he knew that, but he couldn't help it. He just got his brother back, and he was actually starting to enjoy being around both Dean and his friends. He didn't want them to look at him differently, to hate him like his dad did.

Dean leaned back against the wall and let out a long breath knowing that he still didn't have the whole story, but that his little brother was about to the end of his rope. Pushing off the wall he went over and put a hand on Sammy's shoulder. "Ok Sammy, I get it. John went totally around the bend and now has a crazy idea in his head. The good thing is we now know he isn't going to kill you; that helps. Now we just need to use it to our advantage." He watched as Sammy looked up at him questioningly. "Don't worry kiddo, we'll figure it out. There's no way he's going to get at you again, right guys?"

Hearty agreements resounded around the table and made Sam feel like they truly cared. Smiling he accepted what they said, all the while knowing that sometimes the best course of action often isn't the most popular. 'I'll make this right for you Dean, I swear it.' He thought with new determination.

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Dr. Celia Grey had been having the weirdest feelings the past couple of days, almost like she was being watched. She never saw any indication of it, but was more determined than ever to find out what was going on; she often treated people who didn't take kindly to other people knowing their condition.

She was used to getting up at odd hours and even having to go into the bad sections of town in the middle of the night was second nature to her. With that in mind, she made a phone call and then rushed out of her apartment as if the devil himself was after her. Rushing to her car she knew that feeling was still present and knew that tonight was going to be the night in finding out if her suspicions were right. Starting her Jetta, she sped down the road to the highway, and quickly made her way into the familiar East L.A. neighborhood. Swinging in front of a rundown apartment building, she quickly made her way up to the third floor where a door quickly opened.

"Hey ya doc! Get in here before the neighbors start in on you." Came the voice of a teen boy by the door. After quickly shutting and locking the door their focus went immediately to the young man by the window.

"Yeah, you called it CC, big black truck not far behind you. Damn, it was throwing off some bad vibes. Who is it?"

Celia shook her head, "I honestly have no idea. I just know that it's been popping up here and there."

The man by the window continued to watch but responded, "Sounds like whoever it is needs to learn that it's not nice to scare a lady. You still have it?"

"You know I'll never use it, but yes; I still have it." Celia responded patting her bag that hid not only her keys, wallet and checkbook, but also a Glock that was a gift to 'keep the baddies away.' Everyone who knew her knew she wouldn't use it, but the premise was to buy time until help came – AKA: the gang members she often helped.

After making sure the coast was clear, she was escorted back to her car. "Take care of yourself Lady, you ain't no use to us dead." The man told her, the words sounding cold, but the eyes were soft and concerned.

"You worry about me too much Nate, you take care of yourself and those other hoodlums you call friends and we'll call it even." She smirked, knowing that Nate's gang might get down and dirty in the underworld at times, but they were still loyal to themselves and those who help take care of them. Sometimes it was nice having friends like that.

Driving away, she felt a new sense of calm. When all else failed, she knew her little brother had her back.

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Silence had fallen on the kitchen for the last couple of minutes, each person lost in their own thoughts and concerns. It wasn't until the phone rang that they were brought back to the present. Taylor was closest to the phone, so he answered it with a gruff, "Yeah!" only to be shocked by the caller and who they wanted to talk to. "Sammy, it's the Colonel for you."

Nodding, Sam got up and after a moment of staring as his soda decided to take it with him, hoping that he would still feel like drinking it after the call. "Yes sir?... Fine sir… is she ok?... yes sir, I'm sure I can… uh huh… yes sir, three thirty at the Academy, I'll be there… I doubt that sir. 'Bye." He had just hung up the phone when the barrage of questions started and it took him a minute to figure out that everyone wanted to know what was going on. "Uh… Jenna wasn't feeling well last night so the Colonel's going to take her to the doctor today; he wanted to let me know so I could go back to sleep and then meet with him at Pembridge Academy at three thirty today."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Pembridge Academy? Sammy… what the hell? Dude, I know we need to get you back in school, but I'm sorry, there's no way we can do Pembridge!" Dean said, trying to restart his heart just at the thought of the price tag of the school in question.

"It's ok Dean, the Colonel's arranged it. It's only so I can make sure that Jenna's safe while she's at school." Sam told his brother as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Dean just looked at his little brother in shock, then at his other brothers at the table. Turning his attention back to Sammy he asked, "So, you're serious. It wasn't some sort of weird dream last night… you're going to be Jenna's guard… or whatever... because of some sort of threats?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, she's been getting death threats and it's starting to worry the Colonel. Apparently she didn't want someone who would get in her way, so he asked me to do it. It just made sense that I'd go to school with her, I guess."

They had known about the threats, they had been told about them from the beginning but hadn't realized that it had gotten that bad. Looking back and forth it was Stephen who finally spoke up. "You ok with this Sammy? I mean with going into a building full of people you don't even know?"

Looking up from his soda can Sam looked straight as Stephen and held him steady with his gaze, "Just another day at the office." He said smiling. Yeah, he knew he had issues, but they _never_ interfered with a job; he was too professional for that to happen. As long as he was protecting someone or dealing with a case, then he was fine; it was when he had to deal only with himself that he fell apart.

Sensing that his brother was going down that dark path again, Dean stepped up. "Hey Sammy, we still need to go shopping, so how about after breakfast you and me go get some clothes and whatever else you need, yeah?" he knew by the expression on his brother's face what was coming. "Don't worry about me going to work, everyone's been after me to take a day off and show you the sights, they won't think anything of it. So, how about it? You…me… a legit Visa card?"

The guys laughed at Dean's statement. He hadn't talked too much about how he grew up, just that they moved a lot and along the way he'd gained one or two skills to make things easier; they figured out the card fraud by accident when they were in diner and heard a take out order for Frank Zappa come up, Dean took one look at the guy, walked up to the counter and insisted that they not take the man's credit card as payment. After that they knew that Dean was the master of what many would call the underbelly arts of humanity, that was fine by them though, he had kept them out of trouble more times than not with his 'skills'.

Dean watched the expression on his little brother's face and knew it for what it was; worry, and he wasn't sure why it was there. When he got his first payday in boot camp, he automatically opened two bank accounts. The first one was for himself and whatever needs or wants he might have, but the second was for whatever Sammy needed. That's how he found out that his little brother was missing, he had called Pastor Jim to let him know that whatever Sammy needed to get, and he'd pay him back – no questions asked. When Jim had told him that his family had disappeared, he had felt like the world ended until he realized that he would know if they were dead, he was sure of it. So, he continued to put money in the account so that one day, when his brother was safe and sound, he'd be able to get him whatever he needed… hell whatever he _wanted_. Today was that day. Watching Sammy for a minute he suddenly felt like he had no idea what was running through his little brother's head, and he didn't like it. Finally, Sammy looked at him and gave a little smile.

"I guess I could use another pair of shoes." He said knowing that the shoes he was wearing were so worn out that he probably would be better off going barefoot. Noticing the happy look on his brother's face made him feel like he made the right decision. Shoes he needed, and he already had a couple of new shirts and pants from earlier, so he should be set, he'd just make sure not to get anything expensive.

Feeling as if everything was settled, everyone got up to get ready for the day, and Sam started to make breakfast while they got dressed. Fifteen minutes later they were sitting at the table eating when Dean heard his cell phone from the other room. Groaning, he left his plate there and threatened anyone who even thought of pilfering it. Finally getting to the phone he answered it good naturedly until he heard the voice on the other end.

"_Hello Dean…"_

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not wanting to take the chance of being overheard, he quickly went to the balcony and closed the door behind him. "What the hell do you want you sick bastard?" he snarled into the phone, knowing that he should just cut the call but wanting some answers at the same time.

There was a weary sigh and then _"I take it you talked to him."_

"Talk to him… TALK TO HIM? You have got to be kidding me! The kid was so terrified he couldn't string two words together without stumbling over them, what the hell did you do to my little brother?" Dean yelled, hoping that he wasn't being heard inside, but at the same time not caring too much.

"_It's not your brother Dean, I don't know exactly… a demon of some sort? It's broken pattern more than once, and convincing as hell, but it's not your brother. Son, Sammy's dead."_

Dean looked at the phone in shocked horror, "What the… do you even hear yourself? Sammy's sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast. He's alive and there's nothing you can say that… you know what, you're insane! Stay away from him; or so help me _GOD_ I will hunt you down." Ending the call, he made his way back to the kitchen where he watched his Sammy finish off his breakfast as he laughed at something that Joseph said about eggs. 'Nope… not listening old man, you're crazy if you think you can turn me against Sammy.'

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There were times when Celia was glad that she lived alone, and times like now she hated it. She had just got back to her apartment and let herself in knowing that it would only be a couple more hours until she was back in full swing at the base. Walking in she didn't think anything was out of place until she turned on the light.

There sitting in her living room was a weary looking man with dark hair and green eyes, and he looked as if he was trying to smile at her but failed miserably. She stood frozen in place looking at him wondering what was going to happen next.

"Hello, Dr. Grey, my name is John Winchester and I believe you know my son Dean."

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AN: So, how'd you like it? 


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Ok... very important!!!! I have tried very hard to stick with the original timeline (Sammy was still born in 1983 and the timeline starts there)... I hope this will help with any confusion with the date that is mentioned in this chapter. Now... on with the story!!!

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Celia heard the man, but was still trying to figure out what the hell he was doing in her apartment, much less at this God forsaken hour. Putting her keys on the table by the door she looked at the man closely, yes she could see the resemblance to Sam. Nodding, she quietly readjusted her bag close to her. "Yes, I know both your boys, but you already knew that. What can I do for you, Mr. Winchester?"

"John, please. I won't hurt you, but I needed to get a message to my son." John said, silently watching her, not moving in case it would spook her.

"Have you heard of the telephone, Mr. Winchester? It's a wonderful invention that has brought many people together. Now, how about you tell me the real reason you're here?" she asked, trying to keep her features schooled, but only able to think about the marks on Sam's body.

Smiling, John had to admire her, she definitely had guts. "Yes Dr. Grey, I am familiar with the phone, however, I know my son and he will not take what I have to tell him lying down. It will be hard for him to hear, and more difficult to believe, but it's for his own protection. The young… _man_ you met, the one pretending to be my youngest son, isn't who he claims to be. I just need you to get a message to Dean, that's all."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, first this person practically stalked her for days, broke into her apartment, now he wanted a favor. Shaking her head, she looked at him. "So, what is this message."

"Tell Dean that I'm leaving town for awhile, that what I've told him is true and to keep an eye on the…_boy_. I'll be back when it's time and I'll do what has to be done."

"That's it? That's your message, and you can't tell him that yourself?" she asked disbelievingly. She felt like she was waking up from a horrible dream and didn't know what to make of it.

John stood, but didn't move any further, "I know Dean and there is no way that he will accept what I say until I give him proof. Until then, he needs to be wary of… Samuel until I get back."

Opening the door, Celia glared at him. "I will send your son your regards Mr. Winchester, now please leave."

Nodding, John walked to the door and paused in front of her. "Dr. Grey, the person who is pretending to be Sammy, is doing just that… pretending. This form that took his place is a pathological liar, who will do whatever he can to destroy everything that I love. Don't be fooled by him Dr. Grey, it could cost you more than you know."

Celia watched him walk out the door and immediately shut and double locked the door, knowing that if he got into her apartment the first time, deadbolts weren't going to stop him. 'Damn it, I thought I got away from this when I moved away from home.'

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Dean knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it. He was sitting in the same room with his little brother after so many years of looking for him. It still felt surreal, but he knew that the feeling would pass, just like all the other times he had felt it. Sammy was washing the dishes, before putting them in the dishwasher, and Dean couldn't help but smirk at the sight. 'Ok, so Sammy's come up with a few extra oddities, we can live with that.' He thought as he watched his little brother wash out the sink, counters, and stove before putting the dishrag in the washing machine that already had his clothes in it from earlier. Shaking his head he couldn't believe what he was seeing, his Sammy was putting a disinfectant in the washer before he started the washing machine, then started the dishwasher before he sat down and looked at Dean expectantly.

"So, when did you want to do this, Dean?" he asked so casually, Dean almost missed the flicker of uncertainty in his little brother's eyes… almost.

Smiling, Dean got up from the table and motioned for the door. "No time like the present Sammy, so what do you say that we hit the stores now and then get some lunch? I hear that the food court at the mall has a new pizza place, how does that sound?"

Sammy turned pale suddenly, thinking of lunch but any response he was going to make was cut off by the doorbell.

Looking at the clock then at Sammy, Dean motioned for his brother to hide behind the wall, then went and opened the door. "Celia? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you and that father of yours have some serious communication issues. He was in my apartment this morning and wanted me to give you a message. Dean, I know that man is your daddy, but he's a raving _lunatic_!" Celia was fuming, the whole way over to the apartment, the more she thought about it, the more furious she became.

Hearing the doctor, the rest of the guys had come out to see what was going on. Seeing Celia made them all feel a little apprehensive, as if she was some sort of harbinger of bad news.

Dean was shocked for a moment, then things started to fall into place. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, knowing that if John had then nothing was going to keep him from hunting the madman down. _First Sammy, now the doc?_

"No, he didn't hurt me. I went to see my brother Nate, and when I got back he was sitting in my living room as if he didn't have a care in the world. He said that I needed to get a message to you about Sam…"

Dean held up his hand cutting her off. "Celia, I already talked to him, he's out of his mind. There is no way that Sammy is what he claims, so don't worry about it."

"Dean?" Sam asked from the doorway making Dean silently curse himself for being so stupid. "The phone earlier, it was Dad?" he asked suddenly feeling very cold, and very _very_ alone.

"Hey, It's nothing kiddo. He spouted off a bunch of nonsense and I told him off, end of story." Dean said flippantly, but inside he was burning with anger at the sight of his little brother standing there looking like a cross between a scared rabbit and a kicked puppy.

Seeing Sam's reaction, Celia felt that she needed to get this over and done with quickly. Apologizing to Sam, she turned to Dean. "He wanted me to tell you that he was leaving town but will be back when the time is right and that he'd have proof for you."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean exclaimed. It was bad enough that he had to endure cryptic messages from the madman himself, now he had to suffer through them by proxy.

"It means that he wants you to keep an eye on me until he can do the ritual." Sam said quietly, looking at everyone in the room to gauge their reaction.

Shocked, Dean could only stand there and try to absorb what he just heard. "Well I don't have a problem with the watching over you Sammy, you know that; but it would be nice to know when he's planning on just popping back in our lives." Dean groused, wishing that the headache he was starting to feel would go away.

Sam walked into the living room and sat on the couch before he responded. "November 2, 2000" he said and watched as all the other occupants in the room turned and faced him.

"Excuse me? What did you just day?" Dean asked quietly.

"It has to be on a leap year and on the anniversary the deal or whatever was done; or at least that's what he told me." The day had barely started, and already Sam just wanted to lay down and sleep for a week.

Dean watched as Sammy's whole demeanor change from earlier, and he didn't like it. "Hey, Sammy, it's ok." He said, walking to his brother and sitting on the coffee table facing him. "Now we know that we have over a year to get things together and make sure he doesn't try anything, ok? I'll call Jim and get everyone on this, they'll find him."

Laughing, Sam looked at his brother. "Right, like they did such a great job of it before." Letting out a deep breath, Sam got up and walked into the bathroom locking the door behind him.

The room was quiet for a long time until Celia broke the silence. "Ok, so would someone mind filling me in? After all, I noticed that you big boys weren't the ones that had the midnight visitor."

Looking around, they all agreed, and filled Celia in on what had been happening, making sure not to mention demons or spirits. Giving her the bare essentials of what John Winchester had planned, they were able to show her how dangerous of a man he really was.

Nodding, Celia walked towards the door. "If you need anything, call me. I'll let you know if I hear from him again. Oh… and give Sam some time, he's been alone for a long while it's going to take some getting used to having a bunch of big brothers watching over him." She winked and smiled as she walked out the door, shutting out any comments that they may have had.

Seeing the time, Dean walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Hey Sammy, come on… the stores are open and I have money to burn!" He didn't hear anything at first, then a slight rustling noise before he heard the click of the lock. Seeing the door open, Dean smiled. "About time! Come on, it's a rare occasion that I actually want to go _shopping_."

Confused, Sam just stood in the doorway and watched his brother walk over and grab his jacket and keys. It was about the time that Dean saw that he wasn't moving that he heard 'Let's go', that he snapped out of his fog and followed his brother out the door tossing a 'Bye' over his shoulder as he went to catch up.

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Dean watched as his Sammy looked amazed at the stores they walked by, making him think that even though his little brother may have been 'out on his own', he didn't actually get to see the things around him. Knowing that security was still probably watching for him because of the confrontation with Dr. Long, he had decided to take Sammy to another mall a little further out, but still not a long drive, now he was glad he did. The place was packed with bookstores, music stores, and even had a huge arcade that they spent over an hour playing video games trying to best each others score's.

It wasn't until they walked out of the fifth store and not bought anything that Dean started to piece a pattern together. Admittedly, he spent a lot of time at several stores flirting with some of the clerks, but when he noticed that it was getting close to lunch time and they still hadn't bought even one item, he started watching his brother a little closer. What he saw made him wonder what was going through Sammy's head. Deciding that it was time to take a break, he called 'Lunch' and dragged a very uncooperative little brother with him to the Food Court and ordered them both a couple of very large pieces of pizza and two drinks, ignoring the green tinge that suddenly occupied Sammy's complexion.

Sitting in the atrium, Dean was watching his brother closely, noting that he hadn't even tried to eat and hadn't touched his drink at all. Having finished his first piece and working on his second, Dean put his napkin down and turned his full attention on his Sammy. "Come on kiddo, I know your hungry, I can hear your stomach from here; so eat."

Sam looked at his brother in shock, it wasn't that he didn't want to; God, how he wanted to, but just the thought made him want to hurl. Shaking his head, he went back to watching the people walk by; the people in suits just stopping in for a quick lunch, the women with small children begging for ice cream, and other people who looked like they worked for some of the stores in the malls. He was trying to ignore how normal they all seemed, knowing first hand that appearances could be deceiving. Feeling a thump on the back of his head, Sam looked back to his brother who seemed more than a little annoyed.

"Alright Sammy, look we have two problems here. The first, you have to eat, you're so damn skinny you're going to blow away if we don't watch it. Second, dude, you need to stop looking at the damn price tags. I'm not saying go nuts, but don't let that be the only thing you look for, ok?" Dean watched Sammy's expression, but saw he wasn't getting anywhere. "Ok, how's this, we get you to eat first, then we work on the clothes."

"You don't get it Dean… I _can't_." Sam said, trying hard not to loose control, but the thought of eating what was in front of him made him…

"Hey… hey, Sammy, look at me! Here, finish my piece, and I'll take yours, ok? That way I know that you ate a little bit and then we'll work on the rest." Seeing his Sammy look at him warily, he couldn't help but ask, "You trust me don't you?"

Sam had no idea how to respond to that question, he wanted to trust Dean, but how do you trust someone you haven't seen in four years? As he looked at the remaining piece in Dean's hand and his brother's face, he knew that Pastor Jim was right; sometimes you just had to take a leap of faith even when everything inside of you is screaming not to. Sighing, he took the pizza and slowly took a bite, hoping that he wasn't being as stupid as his dad always told him he was. Seeing the smile on Dean's face was worth it, until he felt that familiar feeling and jumped up from the table.

Dean was happy that Sammy trusted him enough to take a chance. He knew that it was hard, he wasn't living in some sort of dream world that said that Sammy would be ok overnight, but this was a step in the right direction. Yeah, he thought that, until he saw his little brother jump up from the table and run towards the bathroom. 'Ah damn it' he thought, feeling horrible for forcing Sammy into it too soon. Grabbing his brother's backpack, he raced after him hoping that it wouldn't be too bad.

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Sitting in the Dean of Student's office at Pembridge Academy was not want Dean really wanted to do today, but then again, he hadn't planned on watching his little brother toss his cookies for the second time that day either. Sighing, he tried to alleviate his boredom by reading the Honors and certificates that adorned the walls, but quickly deemed that knowing the school had been honored in 1963 for 'Good Works' was not all that spectacular either. He knew that we was driving Sammy up the wall, but the kid refused to show it, in fact, the person in front of him barely resembled his Sammy at all; gone was the insecurities and quirkiness, in their place was a confidence that made him proud…until he remembered where he'd seen that look and stance before; John. Their father had always taught them that at times you had to make yourself become someone else in order to save a life. At first, Dean had thought it was awesome, they could pretend to be whoever and even take on that persona if they wanted. It wasn't until he left home that he realized how twisted of a life they had actually grown up in. Sure, it had saved their lives, and even the lives of his friends now and then, but sometimes it would be difficult to pull yourself out of the 'someone else' and go back to being the person you were. Watching his brother wear that mask made him wonder if this was such a great idea after all.

The door opened and both Colonel Erickson and a man introduced as Mr. Eugene Cummings walked in at sat down. Dean knew right away that this wasn't going to be an easy undertaking when Mr. Cummings kept looking at Sammy in barely concealed contempt. It wasn't until the man actually opened his mouth that Dean _knew_ he didn't like the man.

"Ah yes, young Master Winchester, I have spoken with Colonel Erickson about the situation, and although it is not uncommon for one of our students to need personal protection, it is uncommon to have one from your, um, shall we say background."

The Colonel and Dean both were about to jump in when Sam's voice stopped them. "Mr. Cummings, we can cut the crap. You don't like me, and I can assure you that the feeling is mutual. However, that does not change the fact, that I am highly qualified, and as the Colonel has no doubt told you, already been approved by Jenna herself. Now, if you'd rather watch one of your more prominent students get murdered on the front grounds of your prestigious school, I suggest we come to some sort of arrangement." Sam told the man coldly, making both the Colonel and Dean very uncomfortable that such a sweet boy could come across as cold and unfeeling as he had.

Mr. Cummings sat in shock for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Of course, you are correct, Mr. Winchester. I do not like the situation, but as you have so eloquently put it, we cannot have one of our students 'murdered on the front grounds', however, I will insist that you abide by the same rules as the other students; that includes grades as well. We cannot play favorites here, no matter what the circumstances. Your schedule will be the same as Ms. Erickson's, as requested by her father. You of course will wear the same uniform as all the other students, and that does include general appearance. You of course, have a disfigurement that needs to be addressed as well as the hair."

Sam looked at the man in front of him, sensing that his brother was about to explode, he quickly assured Mr. Cummings. "My hair will be trimmed to the collar, and most people don't see the scars past the hair, so it shouldn't be a distraction."

Looking at Sam as if he was some sort of insect, Mr. Cummings finally agreed, "I will make the necessary arrangements to make sure you are not reprimanded. Now, if you could tell me the last school attended so we can send for your records, we can finish the process and you can start classes as soon as tomorrow."

"Woodrow Middle School, Woodrow Wisconsin." Sam said, not missing the subtle jerk from his brother.

After finishing the 'interview', they left Mr. Cummings office and agreed to meet the Colonel and Jenna for supper later. Walking towards Taylor's Camero, Dean paused and looked at Sam. "Hey Sammy, uh… can you tell me something?" he asked, praying that there was some reason why his brother lied. "Were you and John using aliases for your school enrollments?" he asked watching his brother's reaction.

Sighing, he looked at Dean. "No Dean, no alias', after you left Dad pulled me out of school and that was the end of it." Sam looked at Dean for only a moment before he looked away. 'Great, this day just gets better and better.' He thought, wishing that he could just make everything go away.

Dean stood there staring at his brother in disbelief. He remembered all to well them being in Woodrow Wisconsin while Sammy was in the sixth grade, he remembered his brother being so proud that he was reading Great Expectations on his own, when it was considered a high school level book. He remembered how he had promised his little brother that no matter what, he would make sure the youngest Winchester would graduate high school no matter what dad said, now he finds out that he couldn't even ensure that his brother finished middle school. Now he watched as Sammy shut himself off from everything and silently folded himself into the car. 'Damn it, could I screw up any more than I already have.' He thought disgusted with himself that he hadn't thought to ask about something so… _Sammy_.

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January 1995

"_Dad, Sammy needs a doctor, his fever isn't going down." Dean said frantically, knowing that his little brother's fever wasn't responding to the Tylenol they had already given him two hours ago. Now he was watching his father pack their duffles and load the car._

"_Dean, keep giving him fluids and the Tylenol, if he's not better by the time I get back we'll take him to the hospital in the next town we come to." John said as he quickly rushed to the car and back again. "We need some funds, stay with your brother, I shouldn't be gone long."_

_Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing, or for that matter what he was seeing. "Wait! You can't be serious, Dad. No! Look, if we're that low, I'll go and meet you at the clinic when I'm done."_

_Smiling, John looked at his eldest son and answered, "Why would we do that when you do a great job as SuperDad?"_

_Watching his dad walk out of the small motel room without looking back made him wonder about what was just said. 'SuperDad', that's what he had been called, and it didn't make sense. Everyone knew who their dad was, so why did… "Well, hell!" he muttered to himself soaking the small rag again and laid it on his baby brother's forehead. "I'm so sorry Sammy, I guess as long as I'm around, he's not going to see himself as your dad too." He apologized to Sammy who was too exhausted to know what was being said._

_The hospital two towns away was small but efficient, quickly taking care of the youngest Winchester and had him back on his feet within a couple of days. However, the experience proved to Dean that there was something that had to be done in order to show their dad how special Sammy really was. The only problem was their father always saw Sammy as the youngest who often got in the way, not as the asset that he had already proven himself to be. It wasn't that their dad wasn't good to them, he did his best, and at the hospital Dean even witnessed how attentive and patient he was with Sammy when no one else is around; but as soon as Dean was back in the mix, things reverted back to the same routine. Sammy had been Dean's responsibility for so long, and even though he loved it, he knew that his little brother needed more; he needed their dad. _

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Dean sat on the couch not watching the TV but allowing it to keep him company while Sammy was in the shower. Looking at the clock, he noticed that it had been half an hour and the water was still on. Of course with the day his little brother had, he couldn't blame him for the extra time under the showerhead.

Thinking about what had led to his decision to leaving the family had made him more determined to make it up to Sammy. The mall fiasco was still burning in his brain, and it was going to take more than a couple of beers to drown it out. Sighing, he couldn't wait any longer, getting up he went and knocked on the door. Not getting an answer, he knocked again. "Sammy… c'mon kiddo, open the door, you have me a little worried here." Dean said to the door, taking the door knob firmly in his hand, he was preparing to forcibly open the door when the door opened nearly toppling him into the bathroom.

"Sorry Dean, I lost track of time. Did you need the bathroom?" Sam asked wondering why his brother was looking at him like that.

Dean could only stare at Sammy, there was something wrong, but he couldn't place what. Although, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to find out what it was. 'I won't let you down again Sammy, I swear it!'

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AN: So, I know there wasn't alot of excitement in this... but I hope you aren't disappointed. Let me know!!! 


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Ok, well it seems like I needed to get this chapter out so I can get to where I really want to go in the story, hope you all will bear with me, and enjoy the ride. :)

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Watching Sammy closely, Dean finally put his hand on his brother's forehead. "Damn it Sammy, why didn't you tell me you had a fever?" he demanded, sure that Sammy was getting sick and just suffering through it.

Looking at Dean it took him a minute to figure out what his brother was talking about. "Dean, I just got out of a _hot_ shower, of course my temp is a little high. I'm fine Dean." He said, trying to get past his brother so he could finish getting ready.

"Uh uh Sammy, I know something's up with you, and I want to know what it is. So spill!" Dean continued to block the doorway and faced his little brother, daring him to try and get by him.

"There's nothing going on, I just trimmed my hair, shaved, took a hot shower, got dressed, and now am in the middle of an Inquisition." Sam said facing his big brother, showing that he wasn't intimidated in the least.

Dean was mulling over what he had just heard and put it in a timeline with the amount of time the water had been on. "Nope, the shower was on the whole time you were in there, so tell me, you find a way to do all that without a mirror?"

Rolling his eyes, Sam finally had enough, "Yes! As a matter of fact, I have. It took a lot of practice and luckily I don't have to worry about shaving very often, but I do trim my own hair; I have for awhile, and wet hair is easier to cut. So, does that answer your question?" Sam asked as he pushed his way past.

Listening to his brother, Dean knew that something was really off. He knew that it took a lot to wind Sammy up, but when he was he could blow up at something as simple as the wind blowing. Sighing, he decided to try and give his brother some space; maybe that would help. He was just about to tell Sammy his decision when the guys walked in looking like they had just won the lottery.

"Oh good, you're both here. Guess what?" Taylor started, hoping that someone would ask, when no one did however he had to resort to telling them anyway. "We just talked to Amber and Heather downstairs and they want to change the main balcony to another bedroom. That means that you should have your own room soon Sammy, no more sleeping on the couch in the living room."

Only slightly smiling, Sam looked at them before asking, "You didn't put them up to it did you?" When he saw their hesitation, he shook his head, "I'll let them know to cancel the contractors. If there's another room, then the rent will go up. I'm happy on the couch unless you guys don't want me there anymore."

At first they could only look at each other, until it was Dean who spoke up. "Sammy, it's not that we don't want you with us, we do, but we want you to know that you're a part of us, not just a piece of furniture. If you won't share a room with me, then you need your own room and the balcony makes the most sense." The rest of the guys were nodding in agreement and looked so happy at the idea, it made Sam smile and shake his head.

"Whatever." He told them still bemused by the fact that there were four grown men standing in front of him acting like kids in a candy store, all over a bedroom. 'I just don't get it.' He thought as he watched them discuss how long it would take for the other room to be built.

Looking at the clock, Dean realized he needed to hurry and get ready. Looking at Sammy then at the guys he asked them to find out what was up with the little brother. Smiling, they all agreed to give it their best shot, although they also knew that it was probably a futile task.

Sam watched as Taylor, Stephen and Joseph walked toward him as if they wanted something, and all he could do was sit there and think, "Well, _crap_!"

"Hey Sammy, how was your day with Dean? I bet he had those sales ladies eating out of his hand." Taylor laughed, trying to make Sammy lighten up a little, as it was the kid looked like he could snap he was so tense.

Shaking his head, Sam just looked back and forth between them, "Uh, it didn't go very well, and if you don't mind… I'd really like to forget today ever happened."

That got them both curious and concerned, but the look on Sammy's face told them enough; leave it alone. Nodding, they all silently agreed, they'd find out from Dean.

Twenty minutes later, Dean was walking out of the bathroom ready to go. He looked over at the couch and saw Sammy looking up towards the ceiling with Stephen sitting on the arm of the couch, Taylor on the other side of Sammy, and Joseph sitting on the coffee table. As soon as he had walked into the living room, the guys looked at him with worried expressions and it didn't take long for him to discover why; Sammy got mail today, and it was from John.

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Celia was leaving her office when something occurred to her and it made her think of Sam. Shaking her head, she decided to wait until she saw him again under more normal circumstances. After all, she couldn't have him think she was stalking him; he had enough problems as it is. Making her way to her car, she turned when she heard her name.

"Dr. Grey!" Katie called out, hoping to get to the woman before she left. "Dr. Grey, I don't know if you remember me, I'm…"

"Katie, of course… you're a friend of Dean's right?" Celia asked, remembering seeing the woman and Dean out a couple of times as well as at the apartment the other night.

Katie blushed a little bit, not sure how she felt being known as Dean's anything, "Yeah, we're friends. I wanted to ask you about his little brother though, Sam. He's alright, isn't he?"

Smiling, Celia wasn't sure how to answer that, but judging by the way that Katie was looking at her, it was an honest concern. "Come on, let's get some coffee and we can discuss what's really on your mind." She said, steering her new colleague across the street to the little deli on the corner.

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Dean looked at the page on the coffee table with interest, whatever it was had everyone upset. Reaching down he picked up the piece of paper and saw that it was a page from a Bible, from the book of Matthew with a passage circled; "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day you Lord is coming." Dean stood there in shock before he looked at Sammy again noticing that his brother hadn't moved at all. Sighing, he crumpled up the page and sat in front of his little brother. "Hey Sammy, don't listen to that, ok? He's not going to hurt you anymore, alright?"

Sam heard the words, but he also knew their father; what he wanted, he got. Not wanting to ruin the night for his brother he sighed slightly and nodded. Looking at the guys around him, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if his dad burst through the door right at that moment. "We need to go or we'll be late."

Nodding, Dean stood and motioned that he'd meet Sammy at the door, then he turned to Taylor, "I want that lunatic found. We can't have him running loose and not know where he is." He looked at his friends, his brothers and finally asked "Are you guys still sure about this?" It didn't take a moment before he felt the smack on the back of the head.

"Moron" came the unanimous reply as the guys walked over to Sammy to make sure he was ok.

'I guess I had that coming.' He thought as he watched his little brother get nudged out the door in the wave of the guys who decided to come along too, and Dean suddenly realized that if he didn't hurry up he'd be left behind.

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Jenna was waiting outside the restaurant with her father watching the cars full of people drive by. Not sure what they would be driving, it was hard to keep an eye out for Dean and his brother. Glancing over at her father she knew that he had been worried about her earlier, but she wished that he would lighten up a little; it had just been a cold for crying out loud. So lost in her thoughts she jumped in surprise when her dad greeted the small group coming towards them. Looking down the sidewalk, she saw the Musketeers accompanied by Sam. Smiling, she quickly closed the distance and hooked her arm around Sam's elbow and started to drag him into the restaurant, leaving the others behind.

Smiling, the Colonel looked at Dean, "I guess we're chaperone's tonight." he said as he watched his daughter quickly introduce Sam to the people inside.

Dean looked in the window and saw Sam quietly indulge Jenna and couldn't help but think that this was going to be a very rough night.

Stephen was sitting across from Sammy, watching as little bro tried very hard not to answer Jenna's questions without seeming rude. He had to give the boy credit, Jenna was persistent when she wants to be, but so far Sammy was able to hold his own. He especially liked how he would ask Jenna about the school and her other commitments so he would know how much time they'd be together. All in all he thought everything was going pretty well until Jenna asked a question that made the table grow quiet.

"Sam, you haven't eaten anything. What, the food not good enough here?" she said casually, trying to make a joke.

Everyone was silent for a moment until Sam smiled at her, "No Jenna, just didn't want to be rude, I didn't want to distract you from telling me about the Jubilee."

Jenna sat there for a moment and watched Sam closely, knowing that there was more to the story she decided to let it slide for now. Smiling, she nudged his arm showing what she thought about that statement, and then let her attention slide over to Dean. "So Dean, who are you taking to the Jubilee this year?"

Dean almost choked on his Hunan beef when her heard the question, he knew what she really wanted to know; was he going alone again. Seeing his supposed 'friends' snickering, he took a calming breath and answered, "I'm not sure Jenna, I haven't thought too much about it." Although his words sounded calm, his thoughts were turbulent. 'Please don't bring it up, _please_ don't bring it up.'

"Uh _huh_, and do you remember what you promised _last_ year?" she asked, knowing full well he remembered to escort her this year if he didn't have a date. Seeing him look between her and Sam made her almost laugh, she couldn't believe that he really thought she would hold him to that. Looking at Sam she explained, "Sam, your brother promised to take me to this year's Jubilee if he did not have a date."

Seeing what Jenna was up to and feeling extremely bad for his brother, Sam decided to do the only thing he could think of. Looking at the Colonel first, he turned his attention back to Jenna. "Ah, so that's why he's been shooting daggers at me all evening, he knows that his chance with you is gone; that explains a lot." Turning to Dean he quickly finished with a wink. "Sorry big brother, you snooze you loose."

Dean wasn't sure whether to be thankful to Sammy for getting him out of a sticky situation, or thump him one for making him out to be jealous. Seeing the smile on the Colonel's face he opted for option number one, it was good to see his little brother bantering around again. Looking around the table, he could see that they guys were in full agreement.

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Jenna didn't want to be late, not for Sam's first day at school. Unfortunately her car had decided to start acting weird on the way over to pick him up. She knew that she was lucky to have gotten the Hardship License in the first place, but that didn't help her when her car started acting up. Finally making it to the apartment, she quickly ran up the stairs and knocked on the door. She couldn't help but think it was funny at some of the things she heard from the other side.

"…if you need anything, call."

"You have your lunch, right?"

"…not stashing any guns…"

"we'll be here when you get home…"

She almost laughed when she saw Sam stumble out the door giving the guys an annoyed look. "Hi Sam, we need to hurry, the way Sandi's acting it's going to take us awhile to get to school." At Sam's look, she quickly explained, "Sandi was my Mom's car, but before she died she gave her to me. Now, she's acting like she wants to stall or something."

They had just reached the faded yellow Mustang convertible when Sam had an idea. After asking Jenna to pop the hood, he looked around for a moment before he found what he was looking for, a few moments later he was closing the hood and getting in the car. "Ok, let's see if that helped." He told her and watched as she was able to maneuver the vehicle without it trying to die.

"Oh my God, Sam! How did you do that?" she asked, truly amazed that he had fixed the problem so quickly.

"Fuel filter and it's only a temporary fix. After school we need to find you a new one." He said as he watched her smile at him. 'Maybe today will be a good day after all.'

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AN's: The Bible passage is from Matthew 24:42.

I have noooo idea where the fuel filter on a Mustang really is, but thought I'd take a stab at it anyway... if I'm wrong, then think of it as a custom modification - really, I'm serious.

Last but not least: a Hardship License is rare and only in the extreme cases where a tragedy has befallen a family, and it would lighten said hardship if an underage driver is allowed to obtain a driver's license. (See all the odd information I have stored in my head... yeah, it scares me too.)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, see you soon!


	20. Chapter 20

Dean, Taylor, Stephen, and Joseph watched as Jenna drove down the road and out of sight. Sighing, Dean looked at the others "I feel like it's his first day of Kindergarten again." He said as he headed back into the apartment, leaving the guys to stand there on the sidewalk looking confused. A moment later, Dean was running out the door with keys in one hand and his jacket in the other. "Hey Taylor, borrowing your car, I'll be good to her." He said as he rushed past. Laughing, the guys nodded, _Yeah, that's what they thought he would do._ Quickly moving to intercept him, they blocked his way and Taylor opened the car door.

"Come on dude, you know that you can't do that." Taylor said as he reached in a grabbed the keys.

"What? Come on guys, you know those kids are going to eat Sammy alive. How about we all go? We can make sure his first day is…" Dean said, trying to get someone, anyone, to agree with him.

"No Dean, whether you want to admit it or not, he has to do this one himself. How would it look if it was found out that his big brothers were shadowing him?" Stephen told him calmly, all the while trying to keep himself from jumping in the car with Dean.

Looking around at his friends, Dean had to admit that maybe, only _maybe_, he was going a _little_ overboard. He didn't like it, but he just had to accept that he couldn't be with his little brother all the time; that didn't mean that he had to like it though. "Fine, but you know I'm going to be here when he gets home… and that he's not going anywhere else without us… and … what are you guys laughing at?"

They couldn't help it, they knew that Dean was protective, but the way he was acting was beyond what they had seen before; their macho friend was a closet mother hen. Laughing, they just shook their heads and made their way back to the apartment leaving him on the sidewalk to whine "_What_?"

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Jenna had been sneaking glances as Sam ever since he got in the car, now though, they were at the school and the full impact of the situation came crashing down on her. Sighing, she turned to him, "Sam, how are we going to do this? I mean, honestly, I think of you as a friend, but if you're only here to protect me then won't that be a conflict?"

Sam was startled by the question, he had thought they had hashed that out already. Not knowing exactly what to say he thought for a moment knowing that his silence was making her more nervous than before. "Jenna, I can be your friend and your protector, but if a choice has to be made at any given time, then us being friends will have to be put to the side." He was trying to be fair, but had no idea how someone as headstrong as Jenna was going to take that answer. He watched as she mulled it over.

"So, what your saying is that we can still be friends, but if we ever get in between a rock and a hard place, then you're my protector first, right?" she asked, wanting to make sure that there were no misunderstandings; she liked Sam too much to take anything for granted. When she saw him nod in agreement, she smiled. "Fair enough, now lets go before we're late; Mr. Graves hates tardiness and loves to issue detention."

Sam followed her out of the parking lot while buttoning up his shirt and tightening his tie. It was bad enough that he had to wear a uniform, but to make it a ridiculous looking suit just seemed to be overkill. Looking around, he saw a see of yellow blazers, all attached to the student body of Pembridge and wondered if this is a glimpse into Hell. Shaking his head he quickly resigned himself to the task ahead of making Jenna safe; everything else would have to wait.

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Katie was trying not to go cross eyed. She had been going over the same information for the last hour and a half and wished it was in Greek; Greek she knew, this insane bunches of codes and nonsense in front of her made her wonder if the person who sent it was high on crack. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes and thought about the conversation she had with Celia. It was nice to know that the Musketeers were taking such good care of Sam, of course, she had seen that first hand; but it was also nice to know that whatever damage that had been done to him in the first place wasn't permanent. Celia was confident that any insecurities that Sam was feeling, was temporary with the support the guys were determined to give him.

Smiling, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Dean. She knew he had his hands full, but she also knew that he would keep his promise; he'd take her out to dinner, and since the previous one was interrupted, then he'd double his efforts to make it up to her. The last time that they had actually gone out on a date, he had made her feel as if she was the only woman in the room, and she refused to wonder if he made anyone else feel that way too.

Turning her attention back to her computers, she didn't hear anyone walk up to her until she saw a bunch of flowers appear in front of her face. Shocked she could only stare at them for a moment before she turned and saw Dean in full uniform, grinning at her while holding the flowers. "Dean! What are doing here? I heard that you guys were…"

"Yeah, I know, we just heard ourselves about a half hour ago. Look, I know that it's kind of short notice, but a week from this Saturday is the Jenna Jubilee, and it's a formal ball type thing that me and the guys are… ah, jeez, look Katie, would you like to get all dressed up, pretend to be someone we're not, and go to a 'Red Tie' affair with me?" Dean knew he blew it, he actually had been practicing his speech when he went and got the flowers and on the way back, not wanting to make a complete ass out of himself.

"Uh… red tie?" she asked, knowing about Black Tie events, but never heard of a Red one.

"Yeah, all the women wear red formal dresses and the guys wear tux's with red ties and cumber buns. I myself think it's silly, but Jillian thought it was a good way for everyone to remember why we're there." He knew that he was about to ramble, and he hoped that either she answered quickly, or something would fall on his head.

Katie remembered hearing about Colonel Erickson's wife having AIDS before she died, and someone had mentioned the Foundation she had created, but she hadn't been to interested at the time to find out more. Smiling, she looked up at Dean and took the flowers, "I think I can make it, the question is… are you sure _you_ can?"

Dean gave her a cocky grin before answering, "Me? Oh yeah, it's just a simple recon, no biggie."

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Sam had a headache building and if he didn't get it taken care of quickly, he was going to have a full blown migraine to deal with. Ever since losing the sight in his left eye, reading became more of a strain and if done for too long, resulted in him reaching for a pain pill; and at times he didn't care what type it was. He had just endured English, Science, Math, and the most boring Science class that he thought he would ever encounter. The only bright part of his day so far was that Jenna was more determined than ever to make sure that his suffering was kept to a minimum. Now they were sitting in the cafeteria next to some window trying to ignore the snide remarks coming from the tables surrounding them.

"Sorry about them Sam, they obviously have nothing better to do." Jenna said, trying to eat her lunch, but was getting upset by some of the things she was hearing.

Smiling, Sam covered her hand with his, "Don't worry about it, I'm here for _you_ not me. They can say whatever they want, it won't bother me."

Jenna was about to say something when a boy about seventeen practically fell into a chair at their table. "Jenna, please tell me you took notes, preferably good notes but then again I wasn't there so I wouldn't know the difference." The boy started to ramble then seemed to notice Sam. "Oh, hey! You must be Sam the bodyguard, nice to meet you I'm Vic." He said as he extended a hand to Sam. The whole scene was immediately mocked by some of the tables which made Sam look at Jenna and Vic questioningly.

"Oh, don't mind them. They like to show off their ignorance at my conditions expense." Vic said nonchalantly which made Jenna's mouth twitch with the threat of a grin.

Not able to help himself, Sam inquired, "Condition?"

Vic immediately was overcome by a forelorn look on his face and said sadly, "Yes, you see I have this condition, completely chronic with no cure in sight, and they of course think it's something to mock. Shame, really. Ah, you'd like to know?" he asked Sam, knowing that Jenna was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Leaning close to Sam as if he was going to share a secret, he said in a staged whisper, "You see, I suffer from… Homosexuality." Sitting upright again he continued to gauge Sam's reaction. "Shocking, I know… alas, what is one to do?"

Sam wasn't sure what to make of this person and it wasn't until he saw Jenna laugh that he knew that everything was alright. Looking back at Vic he acted as serious as he could. "So, chronic but not fatal?"

Immediately Vic knew he liked Sam and that Jenna had found a keeper. Leaning back in his chair, he quickly said, "Only if people with limited views on life had their way."

Hearing a collective 'Humpf' come from one of the other tables, Jenna was secretly pleased with these new turn of events. She liked Sam and had been wondering if he'd be alright with Vic hanging around, after all Vic was her best friend and she would hate to tell Sam they couldn't be friends anymore. Now that everything was settled, she quickly guided the conversation back to other things, like her To-Do list to make sure everything was perfect for the Jubilee.

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Dean was sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure out some of the paperwork that he now had to fill out. Sighing, he couldn't figure out who to give temporary guardianship of Sammy too when he was deployed. Even an overnight mission could turn out wrong, and leaving Sammy in a lurch like that wasn't something that he even wanted to consider, but he also knew that he needed to name someone soon. Normally he'd appoint the guys, they all got along with his little brother and treated him like one of their family, but most times they were deployed together, so that didn't make sense. He thought about Pastor Jim, but was worried about uprooting Sammy from anything that he may have started to build where they were. Deciding to take a break, he started to look through a couple of magazines when Taylor walked in.

"Hey Dean, looking for a car? That's kind of a big step don't you think?" Taylor asked looking at some of the ads that Dean had already circled. "The guys and I don't mind sharing our cars with you."

Smiling, Dean nodded, "I know, and I appreciate it. Before it was just an additional cost that I didn't need because I was looking for Sammy, but now that he's here I was just kind of thinking of finding something that he and I could fix up, you know?"

Taylor did know, he sat up with Dean on more that one night while he fixed the Camero trying to sort something out in his head. He knew that if it wasn't for Dean's insomnia, his car would have been scrap a long time ago. Sitting down across from his friend he could tell something else was bothering him. "So, what started this mad search after four years of being without a car of your own?" He watched as Dean pushed a small stack of forms his way and when he saw the titles he realized now what had his friend so upset.

"I re-enlisted to make sure that I had something for Sammy, so how can I name someone to take care of him when I'm not here?"

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Sam was thankful that the day was almost over, after lunch Jenna started to get a little worried about the fixation that some people had on them. Sighing, he joined her out in the gym and could tell it was going to be a long hour. Jenna had just walked out from the girls locker room and was immediately surrounded by guys who were trying to show of their build. Jenna rolled her eyes and tried to walk past but was stopped when one of the boys grabbed her arm. Not wasting any time Sam calmly walked over and broke the connection, making the boys attention fall on him instead.

"Excuse you, but you're interrupting a private conversation."

Looking at Jenna first, Sam knew that whatever had been said had upset her. Guiding her off to the side, he chose to ignore what was being said and escorted her to the other side of the gym where the Coach was waiting to take them out to the track.

"All right, as you know today everyone runs a mile. Anyone who cannot run a mile by this time will not pass this class. Any questions? Good, now get moving." He ordered, not caring if anyone had questions or complaints, he wanted this over and done with just like everyone else.

Amused, Sam looked at Jenna who seemed a little distressed. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked looking around to see if anyone was giving her a hard time.

Jenna shook her head and looked at Sam. She knew there was a reason why he was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and pants instead of the standard short sleeved shirt and shorts, but that wasn't what had her worried. She knew that if she started running, then somehow she'd make a fool out of herself; she always did, the last time she tripped over her own feet during a sprint and skinned her leg so bad she had trouble shifting Sandi for a week. Now she was going to show Sam just how much of a klutz she really was. Any comment she could have made was interrupted by the Coach's whistle before he yelled for them to hurry up.

"Come on Jenna, we'll go together, that way you can pick me up when I fall flat on my face." He said with a smile, not wanting her to get in trouble with the Coach.

Everything had been going fine, everyone had finished their run and they had started to chat about inconsequential things when the Coach decided to up the ante. "All right everyone, we're going to time you now. Do your best and we'll see how you do." Setting up four at a time to get through it faster, he had picked Jenna to be included in with a group of all girls and she had no sooner finished after falling twice than Sam was called. Not wanting to leave her, but feeling a little in the spotlight, he looked at Jenna hoping she had a suggestion.

"Go for it Sam, show them what you can do." She said, as she continued to brush the some gravel out of her knee.

Realizing that was not what he wanted to hear, he was prepared to bow out to the Coach when he remembered that he had to act like a real student a participate in all the activities. Really hating this idea, he decided to get it over and done with so he and Jenna could get out of there and finish their day. On the Coach's signal, Sam took off in a sprint, knowing that he probably looked like a lunatic in doing so. He was used to doing a five mile run at a fast pace for the first and last mile with the other three being more of a jog, so doing an actual mile made him feel like he could stretch out a little more. On his second lap he slowed down a little but not much, keeping to a rhythm that his body had quickly settled into, then before he knew it he was on the last lap and decided to let his legs stretch out again. By the time he finished, the other three in his group were still working on their mile, and Jenna had the biggest smile on her face. Not thinking anything about it, he let himself get caught up in the moment when she launched herself at him and gave him a big hug.

"That was awesome Sam! How can you do that? I trip over my feet when I try." Jenna exclaimed, truly excited by what she saw.

Confused, Sam didn't think he did anything out of the ordinary and was about to say as much when he heard the Coach bellow.

"_Winchester_!"

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AN: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter... don't forget to let me know!!! 


	21. Chapter 21

Dean was pacing back and forth across the living room and his snarls were starting to worry his companions. "Where the hell _is_ he?" he asked turning to look at the clock on the wall again, knowing that it wasn't going to be much different than the last time he looked. "Damn it, it's seven thirty, Jenna said he left an hour ago; he should have been here by now."

Joseph looked at Taylor and they shared a look of _how was he getting home_, when Dean broke through their thoughts with another diatribe. Not sure if it was safe to interrupt, they both decided to stay quiet until a more opportune moment surfaced. Stephen, however, decided to take a more direct approach. "What exactly did Jenna say again?"

Pausing for a moment, Dean thought back to the conversation that had started his ill concealed panic, finally piecing the details together he shrugged his shoulders. "Just that Sam had left an hour ago, and that something happened at school that we need to make sure he tells us about it. That's it, nothing else. Damn, I don't need this today… where is he?" he asked the wall again as he tried to stay calm, but knew he was failing miserably. He was about to call Jenna when the front door opened and a very tired looking Sammy stumbled in. All four men looked at their little bro in surprise and wasn't sure what to say until he broke the silence.

"So, you're heading out tomorrow." He said calmly, trying to organize the events of the day in his head, but knew that he was more tired than what he initially thought.

Shocked for a moment, Dean finally nodded before asking, "How did you know?"

Sam smiled at his brother before answering, "Jenna says the Colonel gets real antsy right before he sends a group out. So, how long will you be gone?" he asked, already knowing that it was just a short mission but he wanted to hear it from Dean.

"A couple of days, a week max. We'll definitely be back before the ball, so you won't have to suffer it alone." Dean tried to joke, but saw that he was failing miserably. He felt like he was failing a lot lately. "Look, I know that we talked about this before I re-enlisted, but I really didn't think we'd have to head out so soon."

Sitting on the couch, Sam looked up at his brother and smiled. "Dean, we did talk about it, and I thought I made it clear that I'll support your decision… and I do. I just didn't know how much time we were going to have to hang out, that's why I was asking."

Dean really listened to what Sammy had said, and he knew he should be ticked off at his little brother for worrying him, but then something clicked in his brain; the Colonel's house was a good half hour drive away, and Sammy didn't drive. "Sammy, how did you get home?" He saw the look on his friends faces and knew that they had been asking themselves that as well, as they all turned their attention to Sammy, they noticed too that he looked like he could fall asleep where he sat.

"Well, I ran a couple of miles, then one of Jenna's friends picked me up and dropped me off. It was a good thing too, 'cause right now I feel beat." Sam told them while trying to keep his eyes open, but knew he wasn't succeeding too well.

"Sammy, how about we wake you in about an hour and we can finish this discussion?" Dean asked, chuckled when he heard the mumbled sound of agreement. Looking over at the others he smiled. "It's been awhile since I had to tuck him in for a nap."

Taylor smirked, and then helped Dean move Sammy into a better position. Their talk could wait; little brother was out for the count.

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It was a couple of hours later before they decided to wake Sammy up, the main reason was, he looked like he was coming down with something and that worried all of them; after all, they weren't going to be here for a couple of days at least. Nudging him awake hadn't worked, so Dean resorted to the old stand by, tickling. Of course he hadn't taken into account that his little brother wasn't ten anymore and had longer arms to catch him on the jaw with. After everyone got calmed down, they went into the kitchen and watched as Sammy fixed himself something to eat while they talked about the issues that needed to be dealt with.

"Sammy, before every deployment, I have to fill out a form to designate someone as your temporary guardian. Unfortunately, I can't think of anyone since the guys here will be with me. Any suggestions?" Dean asked, wondering if his brother's first thought would be Pastor Jim.

"The Colonel? I'll be there anyway because of Jenna's late night roaming problem before the Jubilee, and he already asked if I could spend more time over there until things settle down." Sam told Dean nonchalantly, as if it was everyday a girls father asked a boy to spend the night.

Dean looked around the table then back at Sammy, watching as his brother sat down next to them and started to dig into his omelet. "Sammy, are you ok with that? I mean I know this all short notice, but are you sure that you don't mind…"

"Dean, look, I spent the last several years sleeping in a car or on the ground, I'm kind of used to making the best of a situation. At least this situation has a bed and cable TV." Sam smirked, making the guys around him chuckle.

They sat there for awhile, each in their own thoughts when Dean suddenly sprung up from his chair, telling Sam not to go anywhere, he'd be right back. Sam looked around the table for any idea of what might have just happened, when he noticed the guys were starting to smile. After hearing the balcony's glass door open, Dean curse a few moments, then the door close again, Sam started to get suspicious about what was really happening in the living room. He was about to get up from the table when Dean walked into the kitchen guiding a ten speed along next to him. Sam sat there in shock, not sure what to make of it or what to do.

"I thought you might like to be able to go to the store and whatever on your own. It's not much, one of the guys at the base had got it a couple of years ago when he thought about doing triathlons, but wanted to get rid of it since it's been hanging in his garage for over a year. So, anyway, what do you think?" he asked, not knowing if the bike was actually something that his brother would like to have, but had figured that it was worth a shot anyway. When Sammy didn't answer, he looked at his brother who just sat there staring at the bike. "Sammy? Hey, are you ok little brother?"

Sam had no idea what to say, it meant a lot to him that his brother trusted him enough to let him go places by himself. He was sure that he had messed that up after running off the last time. He remembered Dean teaching him how to ride on the neighbor's bike when he was eight, and it was something that he was sure he hadn't forgotten; at least he hoped he hadn't. Looking up at Dean, he could tell that he was worried, "It's great Dean, thanks! Uh, I know it's late, but do you think I can try it out?" he asked, the rest of his supper forgotten.

After they were all outside, Sam hopped on the bike and took off a little wobbly at first, then he was able to balance everything out and his confidence grew. Fifteen minutes later, the wind grew colder and they all were ready to go back inside, with Sam still smiling at his gift. He had just put the bike up on the landing by the other 'doorway' and walked inside, when Dean held out something else for him. Looking at it, he was confused until Dean clarified, "I put you on my plan, this way if you're running late I won't have to track you down by beating the wino's ok?"

Taking the cell phone, Sam wasn't sure what to do with it. This was definitely new territory for him, his dad hated the things, and only used land lines when absolutely necessary. Taylor quickly showed him how to get into his address book which not only had all of their numbers in it, but also Pastor Jim, Bobby, Caleb and Joshua's. The voicemail was something that Sam thought he'd never need, but it was good to know how to get into just in case, and texting was something that just sounded too weird, so he decided to wait about that until some other time.

Dean leaned back against the wall and watched Taylor fill his Sammy in on the features of his phone. He had thought that he'd feel more jealous, seeing what was going on, but then he thought about it; these guys had heard about Sammy practically non-stop for four long years, it's no wonder they all took to him like he was theirs. Smiling, he continued to watch until Stephen and Joseph nudged him toward the balcony.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with the real Dean Winchester?" Stephen asked suspiciously.

Not even pretending that he didn't know what they were talking about he shrugged, "Look, we all know that John is out there somewhere, that's a given. I don't want Sammy being a sitting duck. I know the kid can run, hell he can fight, but if he's mobile he has a better chance. I know it sounds lame, but I just wanted him to have a way to get from one point to another without having to rely on someone and possibly becoming a stationary target."

Joseph looked between his two friends and knew that it was a sound reason, but not the only one. He had thought about how long Dean had waited to spoil his little brother, and had a feeling that if Sammy wouldn't have had a problem with getting his license, then Dean would have already found a car for him and the kid to fix up. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but admire their little brother, he had been through so much, but he still had a way about him that drew people to him. "Dean, you sure you're ok with this? I mean, it's not a car, but it does mean that he can go anywhere, anytime without us really knowing where he is."

"Nah, not worried about it… why do you think I ran out and got the phone while he was sleeping?" he tossed over his shoulder while walking back inside. "Hey Sammy, what happened at school today?" he practically shouted to his brother as he crossed the doorway.

Sam froze in his spot, there was no way that Dean could know about what happened, there wasn't; was there? The more he thought about it, he wasn't sure. Yeah, Jenna said they were friends, but does that mean that she'd keep quiet about something that he didn't want to talk about? Looking back and forth between Dean and the guys he knew that they all wanted to know, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to stonewall them long. "Not much, it was actually pretty boring." he told them, hoping that would satisfy them; it didn't and he wanted to kick himself. 'Great, most teenagers complain that their parents don't care, and I end up with the brother's who do.'

"Come on Sammy, Jenna said something happened and we needed to ask you. So, what happened? Did those brats try anything?" Joseph asked, looking as if he would track every one of the offending parties down.

"What? No!" Sam laughed, thinking about how it sounded, they had been worried about his feelings getting hurt. "Nothing that wasn't normal teen crap, and nothing that bothered me." He was hoping they'd drop it; he really just wanted to spend some time with them before they left and he was alone again. Yeah, _so_ not going to happen.

Dean recognized that look, it was the same one that Sammy would get when something had happened and he didn't want to make a big deal about it; like when he saved Mrs. Rochelle's kitten from the broken fire escape, and she kept going on and on about how brave he was. _Nope, sorry little brother, not going to get away with it that easily_. "Sammy, what happened?" he asked, giving Sammy his patented 'don't screw with me; I'm your big brother look.'

Sighing, Sam knew that he needed to deal with it so they could move on to other things. Looking at Dean he finally answered, "We did time trials at the track today, and the Coach wants me to try out for the Cross Country team."

Everyone looked at Sammy, then at themselves; then back at Sammy before they all broke out in pandemonium and started to pat him on the back. "That's great Sammy… Good going… you'll make it…"

Confused, Sam interrupted, "I already told the coach no, I'm not going to try out." When he saw the looks on their faces, he tried to explain, "Look, chances are I'm not going to be there the rest of the year, so why should I start something then leave them in a lurch?"

"Sammy, why wouldn't you finish the year there?" Stephen asked, truly confused by the prospect of the kid not being at the school.

"I'm there for only one reason, to watch out for Jenna; not to try and become something I'm not. After she's safe, she won't need me around as much, and I won't have a reason to be at the school." Sam said as he was getting things ready to wash the dishes.

Dean looked around and wondered if it was just him, or was there something else under what was being said. "Sammy, you still need to go to school, if you're there now you might as well finish the rest of the year out and then we can think of somewhere for you to go next year." He had meant every word, but he saw the reaction his little brother was having to them.

"Dean, what's the point? You want me to what… graduate from high school, maybe go to college? It's not going to happen Dean, I'm on borrowed time, and there's no way around it." Sam said, trying to pull himself back together, but the day's events, along with knowing that his brother as well as his new 'brother's' were going to be gone tomorrow, was really taking a lot out of him.

The guys were stunned, they knew that they were on a time schedule of sorts, but they hadn't picked up that Sammy had already doomed himself to it. Shaking his head, Dean turned Sammy around to face him. "That's crap! You said November 2000, its February 1999 right now; we have over a year to find a way to keep John from doing this. So don't you dare give up now; not after everything we went through to get you back. Do you understand me?" Dean was practically screaming at Sammy, and Stephen was trying to calm the situation down, while Joseph noticed how pale their little bro had gotten and moved to make sure he was alright.

"I just want to enjoy what time I have left Dean… I know that you don't understand, but I'd still like for you to try and respect that." Sam said quietly, seeing the anger that was rolling off of Dean in waves. He had known that talking about this was the wrong thing to do, maybe next time he'd listen to himself.

Joseph was about to go and get the med kit that he kept in the hall closet when he felt Sammy's hand grab his wrist. "Sammy, I just want to make sure that you're ok, you're so pale right now, the scars on your face are almost neon." He said gently, hoping that Sammy wouldn't get upset, but he needed the kid to know how freaked he was.

Dean noticed how pale his little brother had gotten and was instantly concerned. He knew what Joseph meant, normally you could kind of tune the scars out, but right now they stood out more than ever. "Sammy? You ok kiddo?" he asked, hoping to bring Sammy back to the here and now.

Smiling, Sam nodded, he needed some sleep but was determined to stay up with his brothers. "Yeah, I'm ok, just a little shocked I guess, I haven't had anyone care about me being in school for awhile."

They watched Sammy for a moment before Stephen took a deep breath and asked the question that everyone had been avoiding for too long. "Sammy, when did your dad do that to you?"

Startled, it took Sam a moment to form an answer, "My face? Uh… honestly, it's a little foggy, I was still coming off one of Dr. Long's 'treatment plans' and some of it doesn't make sense to me, but I know it was right after I lost the sight in my left eye."

There seemed to be a collective jerk among the Musketeers when they heard that and wanted, no _needed_ to know more. When it looked like Sammy wasn't going to finish that thought, they asked for more information. They all had their fears about how it had happened, with what they had heard from Sammy about it while he was falling asleep, but they all hoped, prayed they were wrong.

"Oh, uh, we were in Minnesota I think, I was pretty out of it, but Dad insisted that we stop at this place that let people stay in the old hunting cabins in the woods. Dad got into a fight with someone, but we stayed the night anyway. The next morning he wanted to move deeper into the woods, so we took only what we needed, leaving the rest behind for me to grab later. He was already in a foul mood, so when he left to get some late lunch I was actually happy that I could get some sleep. I don't know how long it was before he came racing in telling me we had to go, that he'd been spotted and that they were on his trail. We hadn't even gotten out of the cabin before we were being chased. We already had a plan so when we got to the river we jumped; only I hit the water wrong and I surfaced with a headache and my eye blurry. By the time that I doubled back and got to Dad he was beyond furious and kept yelling that I had told the demons where to find us. The next morning I woke up tied to the bed with a knife in my face and Dad screaming that it was my fault." Sam finished, not sure if that was what they really wanted to know, but that was what he remembered.

The room was silent; none of the others knew what to say. They all remembered that day, and the confirmation that they had contributed to his suffering was almost to much to bear. Sure that he had once again screwed up, Sam didn't know what he should do to fix it. Turning back around, he started washing the dishes trying frantically to figure out how to make everything go back the way it was; before he ruined everything, too bad he couldn't go back further.

Dean stood stock still trying to process what he'd heard, his Sammy had been blinded during the chase they all had participated in, to make matters worse John blamed Sammy for them showing up and punished him for it in a way that would never go away. The burden of responsibility had never been this heavy before, and he saw that the others felt the same way. Taking a chance, he glanced at his brother and wasn't surprised to see him hiding behind his hair. Sighing, he knew he had to make this right, and he had to do it now.

"Sammy, look at me." He said gently trying to get his brother to turn to him. "Sammy, those demons that John told you was chasing him; that was us. We were chasing him to find you. I'm so sorry Sammy, I really am." Dean said sincerely with tears filling his eyes. He saw that Sammy had put down the wash rag and was standing still, seemingly not even breathing. Dean was scared that he had blown it, now that the truth was out. How was his brother ever going to trust him now?

"It was you?" Sam asked, not looking at his brother.

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AN: uh... hope you liked, let me know! 


	22. Chapter 22

Sam heard the words, even knew what they meant, but he just couldn't seem to correlate what his ears were telling him. "It was you?" he asked again, totally dumbstruck; a feeling that he couldn't ever remember having before. He watched as tears started to make paths down his brother's face, and still he stood there numb.

Dean heard the question, and couldn't do anything else but nod. He had just admitted to being the reason why his little brother was partial blind and horribly disfigured, he couldn't even begin to understand how Sammy was feeling about him at the moment. Watching his brother try to process this new information, all he could think of was what he would do if Sammy hated him now. Looking at the other guys, he saw the same stricken expressions on their faces, knowing that the weight of responsibility was feeling heavy with them as well.

"Oh, ok…" Sam said; feeling totally detached from himself. He walked past Dean not knowing where he was going and not really caring. At the moment he just felt like a passenger in his own body and no idea what to do about it. He heard Dean calling for him as he made his way outside, his bike by his side. Not knowing how long he had been gone, he only knew that he was pretty far from home, and all he really wanted was to get back and have Dean tell him that it was all just a huge nightmare that he had woken from.

Dean watched Sammy walk out the door as if he was in a trance, not sure what his brother was doing, he followed and was momentarily stunned that Sammy had grabbed his bike and was disappearing into the chilly night. Running down the stairs, he was able to see his brother blend into the night as he turned a corner out of sight. Looking behind him, he wasn't too surprised to see Stephen with his keys followed by Taylor and Joseph. A few moments later, they were looking for a very confused, and they suspected; ill little brother.

It was another hour before they saw a lone figure sitting in the park staring into nothing. Walking up to Sammy wasn't the hard part, they knew that if they were to get him home, they were going to have to do some major damage control; damage in the form of a broken heart, and control in the form of some major brotherly bonding. Dean was already next to Sammy trying to get him to look his way, but the kid looked as if he was staring through anything in front of him. Stephen, Taylor and Joseph each tried, but there still wasn't any response.

It wasn't until they started to talk about taking him to the hospital that Sammy finally turned to them and whispered, "I want to go home…can I go home now?"

Shocked, all four men looked at each other before nodding enthusiastically and helped their little brother get into the Suburban, and the bike loaded in the back. Each one kept a watchful eye on Sammy, but he seemed to now be in deep thought instead of slight catatonia. As they reached their apartment building, everyone was quiet for a moment until Sammy quietly said, "I'm glad you were there." After looking at everyone, he got out of the Suburban, pulled his bike out of the back and walked inside leaving four men to deal with their feelings on the subject.

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The rest of the night had been spent surrounding each other, and more especially giving Sammy all the support they could before day broke and the Musketeers were off. They didn't like leaving while things hadn't been settled, but they soon realized that Sammy had indeed meant what he said; he was glad that they had been there that day. Everyone had their bags packed and ready to go, but no one was making much of an effort to head out the door.

Sighing, Dean looked at his little brother again. "You're sure you're ok with this Sammy? I mean, maybe…"

"Dean, it's ok. We've already settled it, I'll be at the Colonel's anyway, and he already said that it was fine. I'm more concerned about you. Just… come back, ok?" Sam said looking back and forth between all of his brothers. He knew that they were worried about him, but after everything finally clicked in place, he had told them the truth; he was happy that they had been there looking for him that day, it made him feel more like a part of _them_ instead of some burden or obligation that they had taken on.

"Ok, but Sammy I really don't like the idea of you getting sick right now. So if you start feeling any worse, you go see Celia ASAP, got it?" Dean said seriously, not wanting his little brother to take any chances while he was gone; he remembered how his little brother would go from sniffles to a raging fever in no time when he was younger.

Smiling, Sam just nodded and rolled his eyes. "You'd better go; I'll see you all when you get back." He told them, and as he helped them put their gear into the Suburban, he felt himself get caught up in a big group hug.

Stephen smiled at him before letting go, "Be careful Sammy, we want to see you in one piece when we get back."

"Yeah, and don't forget… you're trying out for the cross country team, too." Taylor insisted before giving a final squeeze and letting go.

Joseph cut the hug and went straight for a noogie before saying, "Don't forget to wash behind your ears, and eat your veggies, and…"

Everyone laughed, and it felt easier to finish their good-byes. The other's were already in the SUV waiting on Dean, but wasn't going to rush him. It wasn't until Sammy pulled Dean into a hug that they realized that this was what they had been hoping for. As long as they had known him, Sammy didn't initiate physical contact, so to see him take that first step helped them all feel better about their decision to leave.

Dean smiled and whispered, "I love you little brother, I always have, I always will."

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Jenna was pacing back and forth in the foyer waiting for Sam to show. She had promised not to leave the house until he arrived, and she was more than a little antsy for him to get there. She knew it wasn't his fault; she always got a little manic before the Jubilee. It had started with her mother, they would get so wound up that they would go for midnight swims or drives or walks not caring what the weather was or what other people thought. There was just so much that could go wrong in such a short amount of time, and if it did go wrong there were people who wouldn't get the help they needed.

Trying not to think about the time, her mind quickly drifted to the New Hope Free Clinic that the Jenna Foundation sponsored, and how many people she had seen benefit from their services. Which brought her to her latest dilemma; she was scheduled to volunteer this Saturday, but she would have to bring Sam along, and she didn't know how he would react to the people there. Sure, Sam seemed alright with Vic, but then again Vic wasn't HIV or AIDS positive. She had found out the hard way that some people can say they're ok with being around those afflicted, but when it comes down to interacting with them, that's a whole other story.

Taking out her cell phone, she was about to call the Musketeer's home number when she saw Sam ride up on a bike. Surprised, she met him on the walkway and watched as he quickly smiled at her before showing off his 'new ride'.

"Cool, huh?" he asked, waiting for her reaction. When she looked at him puzzled, he explained, "Dean got it for me so I won't have to ask them for rides anywhere. So, you ready?" he asked, seeing that her questioning look hadn't gone away.

Looking between Sam and the bike, she finally asked, "You rode your bike here?" She definitely couldn't grasp that he rode that far and was still in a good mood.

Sam looked at Jenna wondering why she was looking at him as if he'd grown a third eye. Seeing that she was really amazed, and he couldn't help but wonder about it. Shrugging his shoulders he walked with her to the mustang and started to take the tires off his bike to fit in the back easier. Knowing that Jenna was shaking her head in confusion, he simply stated, "You never know when we might need it." making Jenna really look at him oddly.

They were almost to the school before Jenna finally broke the silence, "So, you think that your brother will get you a car for your birthday?" she asked, keeping her attention on the road, but still showing that she was really interested.

"Uh, I doubt it since there's really no need." Sam said lightly, knowing that she hadn't meant anything by it he continued, "it's hard to get a license when you have loss of sight in one eye."

Jenna felt like an ass, of course her Daddy had told her about it, and she had admired Sam all the more for it; why she didn't think it would affect certain parts of his life, she'd never know. "Sam… I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Laughing, Sam shook off the apology, "Why, it's really ok. I might not have depth perception, but I can still do what I need to."

Although she was glad that she hadn't insulted Sam, she still felt bad. Seeing the opportunity to change the subject, she immediately jumped on something she'd been worried about. "Have the Musketeers left yet?"

Puzzled, it took Sam a moment to know who she was talking about. Nodding, he watched Pembridge come up on the horizon as he answered, "Yeah, the left for the base right before I started to your house. I know that it's just a short mission, but I'm worried, you know?"

Smiling, Jenna knew exactly how he felt, and vowed that she would keep Sam so busy he wouldn't have time to worry about his brother.

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Dean and the guys were waiting on their transport, and had been told it would be another twenty minutes. Looking at his watch he could only hope that his visitor would get there soon, this impromptu meeting was important. Looking around, he was about to find a phone and make another call when he heard the clicking of heels tapping on the tarmac behind him. Turning around he saw the very person he was looking for.

"Celia! Thanks for coming doc, really I mean it." Dean said hurriedly, he knew his time was limited and the subject needed to be dealt with.

"Dean, I heard that there was an unlisted departure today; I wondered if it was you. So, what has you in a tizzy?" she asked, seeing that whatever it was had the soldier in front of her on edge.

Knowing that he was overreacting, he couldn't help but carry through with his plan. "Sammy looked like he was coming down with something, and before you started laughing at me like I know you're tempted to, he used to get sick at the drop of a hat. With us being gone I don't like the idea of him being sick without anyone watching out for him."

Celia thought about what Dean was telling her and knew that the man was serious. "So, you'd like for me to check up on him every now and then?" she asked, wondering how she was going to do that without raising suspicions with Sam.

Dean smiled brightly at her and nodded, "Exactly, if he is getting sick, then you'll be able to tell and if all else fails you can sic the Colonel on him."

Looking at Dean she was starting to pick up on something, "So, where's he staying that you think I can just stop by without him getting suspicious and still be able to recruit Colonel Erickson to help rope your little brother into getting any treatment that he may need?" she asked, wondering how in the world Dean thought that this had even a remote chance of working.

Grinning broadly, Dean said proudly, "The Colonel's."

Celia's shock was overridden by a sense of 'this just might work.'


	23. Chapter 23

Sam had heard the term 'Force of Nature' before but had never truly experienced it until now. He had watched her during the few minutes in between classes checking her voicemails and making notes, then at lunch while she picked at her food armed with pen, paper, a day planner, and her phone making calls and marking things off her To-Do list one moment and in the next call adding something else. He had thought that maybe things would settle down after they had gotten home and she had finally double checked the reservations at the Carlton, and talked for an hour with the coordinator; that was before the door bell rang. It took all of twenty five seconds for the living room to be filled with people discussing the actual ball schedule; _he hadn't even known that balls had schedules._ Shaking his head he continued to watch Jenna as she went over decorations, RSVP's, and other things that he was sure he really didn't want to know. He was pretty sure though that if he hadn't put a milkshake in her hand earlier she still wouldn't have had anything on her stomach since breakfast.

Trying to stay out of the way, Sam had taken to a corner where he could easily watch Jenna, but not get dragged into the frenzy. He had met with the other guards earlier which went better than he expected, since he already knew about them before he stepped in the house, the Colonel knew he didn't do well with surprises and wanted him to feel comfortable. These men had been hand picked to make sure the house stayed secure, that was _their_ job; his was to make sure that the precious occupant _inside_ stayed secure. Admittedly, Sam knew that they still saw him as some kid who probably would just get in the way if a situation came up, but that was fine with him; it meant that they'd leave him alone and let him do his job.

Seeing that Jenna was in full swing of some sort debate over using a professional ice sculptor vs. a local artist, Sam made his way into the kitchen to grab a water from the fridge. The Colonel hadn't gotten home yet, and from the look at the guys sitting at the table, that was unusual. Hoping that nothing bad had happened, he grabbed his water and was heading back into the living room when one of the guys called him back.

"Hey kid, everything ok in there?" Josh asked, looking like he had something else on his mind.

"Yeah, they had me up to the ice sculptures and I thought it was getting a little too serious for me, so I escaped while I could." Sam joked, knowing that as long as he could let them know he wasn't bothered by them then he could do his job in peace.

Nodding, Josh looked at Sam then finally motioned for him to sit down. "Sam, look we can see you're a good kid, but you have us a little confused. The Colonel seems to think that you can handle yourself, and that's great, but we're just wondering why he's leaving his only daughter's protection up to one person, and a kid at that."

'Damn, I knew it had been too easy.' Sam thought, trying to figure out a way to explain without undoing everything that the Colonel and his brothers had done for him. Finally, he turned to Josh and asked, "You had to sign a confidentiality agreement, right?" When Josh nodded, he asked, "and that includes anything that is said here in the house even if it's not from one of the family members?" he saw that Josh was thinking about the question and finally nodded again. "There was trouble on the beach with Jenna, afterwards the Colonel felt that I could take care of his daughter and asked me to watch out for her until she was safe."

Josh and the others sat in silence for awhile, trying to comprehend what they heard. Finally, Josh whistled "That was you? Wow kid, from what I heard that was some pretty good maneuvering. So, that answers that question, you know what you're doing. So, why did you say yes, you have a death wish or something?" Josh asked, truly perplexed why a _kid_ would voluntarily put himself in harm's way.

Shaking his head, Sam replied "Or something."

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Katie knew he was gone; she had watched the screen as his transport took off and headed to connect with the next leg of his mission. She had been trying to get him off her mind since then and had almost succeeded, then lunch came and she was back to worrying about him. She knew that it was supposed to be a routine recon trip, in and out to confirm or deny hot intel that seemed to have just enough truth in it to make the higher ups nervous, but enough bunk to make them want to find out in a rush whether they should cancel their tee times for the next couple of weeks.

Sighing, she sat back on her couch and tried to concentrate on other things, but kept seeing his face instead. Normally she would smile a little, shake her head and call herself ridiculous, then move on with whatever else her evening had in store for her. Today was different, today she realized something so intensely that it almost broke her heart to admit it; she was in love with Dean Winchester, and he wasn't one to settle down.

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Jenna had seen Sam go towards the kitchen and at the moment she wanted to join him. It seemed as if everything that she had planned had started to come unraveled and now she had to practically re-plan and organize everything from scratch in a week's time. Usually it wouldn't bother her, but she noticed that her father wasn't home yet, and that could only mean one thing; he was worried about something. Knowing that, she was splitting her concentration between the Jubilee and worrying about Sam. Finally, they started making headway and the impromptu meeting was over and she could relax for a minute before her next meeting came in through the door.

Sighing, she closed the door behind her last guest and walked into the kitchen. "I thought I'd find you here. So what did it take to chase you off, talk about chocolate fountains or ice sculptures?" she asked Sam as she walked through the door. She saw Josh and Ed smile and look at Sam as if they were waiting to see how he was going to get out of this one.

"Uh, would you believe that it was when someone suggested using the ice sculpture as a chocolate fountain?" he asked, seeing that she was about to laugh at his absurd answer, he stood up and poured her another milkshake.

Jenna watched him closely as he got a fresh glass out of the cabinet, she couldn't help herself, even in long sleeves she could tell he was built nicely. Hearing a slight cough from the side, she knew she'd been caught, and started to blush. Rolling her eyes at Josh, she looked at the clock on the stove and groaned. "How'd this, you take the next meeting, and I'll hide out here with guys." She offered, making her face look like she was trying to be sympathetic with his 'plight'.

Handing over the glass, Sam smiled, "Thanks Jenna, that means a lot, but I couldn't do that to you. I really don't think your ears could take too many of Ed's stupid jokes."

"Hey I heard that, kid!" Ed said, smiling as he watched the two 'kids'. 'I guess we know what the _something_ is.' He thought amused that two teenagers could be so oblivious with how the other felt.

Drinking from the glass, Jenna watched the guys in front of her and had to wonder what they were thinking. Finally, she realized that she probably didn't want to know. Hearing the doorbell, she rushed off not even bothering with a casual 'gotta go'. Giving the guys a shrug, Sam followed her to the door, knowing that there was another guard outside that had already made sure that it was ok for Jenna to open the door.

Sam wasn't sure what to think when he saw Celia stumble in with a box in her arms and more stuff piled on top. Reaching out to give her a hand, he couldn't help but wonder why she was there. Looking at Jenna, he realized that the doctor was her next meeting.

"Celia, thanks for coming here, after the last go round I just had, I don't think Sam would have survived my driving." Jenna laughed as she led the way back into the living room, taking note that it was getting dark outside. Looking up at Sam she asked, "Do you think you could call Daddy and see if he'll be home tonight?"

Looking between Jenna and Celia, Sam knew when it was time to get out of Dodge; obviously something was going on, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know. Reaching the Colonel's den he picked up the phone and speed dialed the office and was surprised when a receptionist answered. After talking to her for a few moments, he was put on hold until a message was relayed back that the Colonel would be in later unless there was a problem. Assuring the assistant that there weren't any problems, they were just checking in, he cut the call and went back to the living room where the once neat and orderly living room was now filled with chaotic piles of brochures, reports and what looked to be sales ads from pharmaceutical companies.

Jenna took the Foundation's work seriously, and that included making sure that the patients at the clinic got the best care possible. Having the numbers of sales reps from such companies in her cell phone was a given, and knowing when they were in town was always a priority. Looking at some of the latest numbers from the clinic she noticed something disturbing. "Celia, it looks like there was a large increase of patients from last year, is that right?" she asked, now more concerned about making the Jubilee a success.

Nodding, Celia agreed, "Your right, but then again, it doesn't show the decrease in mortality rates, so in a morbid sort of way it's a good thing."

Sam watched both of them go over every piece of information that had to do with the clinic and how many people overall it helped. He listened as they discussed the success they had been having with 'alternative' treatment in conjunction with the standard regiments. He heard Jenna sigh and saw that she was worried about something, and then she turned to him.

"Sam, I volunteer at the clinic, often with the hospice patients, and that's where I'm going to be Saturday. I never thought to ask you before, but will you be ok interacting with people who have this condition?" she asked, truly hoping that he would be ok with it since she would hate to have to break of their friendship as soon as it just began.

Shocked at being put on the spot like that, Sam's mouth over road his brain and answered, "They're not going to try and eat me are they?"

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To say that the Colonel had had a trying day would have been putting it mildly, but now it looked like he was going to have to decipher his enigma of a daughter now that he was home. Normally he knew her moods and could tell what had cause them, tonight however he was beyond puzzled as to why she had locked herself in her room and insisted that it was "all Sam's fault." Knowing a losing battle when he saw one, he walked down the stairs to the other half of the party in question in hopes to find out what the hell happened while he was gone.

He saw the glow from the TV in the living room and knew that Sam was trying not to disturb anyone, but how in the world the boy could watch a documentary on beetles was puzzling enough, but to do it without sound was beyond disturbing. Making himself comfortable next to Sam and waited a moment before initiating contact. He was somewhat surprised when it was the person next to him spoke first.

"I messed up pretty bad, sir." Sam said while trying to figure out how anyone could know where to put the camera's in the ground to catch the bugs doing their thing.

Nodding, Terrance had to agree with him, but he still didn't know what happened. He knew that Jenna was having minutes today to make sure everything was in place, but he didn't think that had anything to do with this. "So, mind telling me what happened?" he asked, hoping that Sam would be more reasonable than his daughter was at the moment.

After Sam explained what had happened and what he said, he faced the Colonel and explained that he hadn't thought anything about what he said until he had flown out of his mouth. "Sir, I really didn't mean to make her mad, it's just something that Dean and I get and it sort of carried over without me thinking about it." He said sincerely, hoping that the Colonel would understand, but then again, the Colonel didn't know what the family business was either, so how could he?

Terrance looked at Sam and saw the honesty in his words, but had no idea how to help him out of this. Jenna's passion was to help those people who benefited from the Foundation and the clinic, and she took any slight on them, perceived or otherwise, as a personal assault on herself. Trying to rub the fatigue off his face, he smiled slightly before looking at Sam again. "You know, my wife could easily shoot off both barrels without a thought too, that's where Jenna get's it from. Normally I'd say not to worry about it, but I also know why she feels the way she does." Letting out a deep breathe he chuckled, "Boy you really know how to screw the pooch don't you?"

Sam was shocked, not at the Colonel's choice of words; he'd heard worse from his Dad, but that the Colonel wasn't mad. Watching the older man get up he wasn't sure he could trust himself to speak, so he stayed content with the decision to stay quiet.

Looking back at Sam, Terrance smiled. "Don't worry Sam, she'll feel better after she wakes you up and drags you through hell's half acres in the middle of the night." He said before making his way to bed, he was definitely getting too old for this.

Settling back against the couch, Sam resigned himself to a hellish next couple of days, then closed his eyes to take a nap; he figured Jenna would wake him in about an hour and a half.

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It was after midnight and Jenna couldn't get back to sleep. Groaning, she grabbed her jacket and put it over her pajama's, grabbed her keys and purse then made her way down the stairs somehow knowing that Sam wouldn't be in his room. By the time she got to the bottom of the stairs, she saw Sam waiting; how he knew she was going to want to leave in the middle of the night, she had no idea.

They had been driving down the road for the last half hour heading to San Diego, neither one talking both listening to the radio. Jenna had spent most of the drive speeding down the road not paying attention to anyone or anything around her, but now that she had expended some of her nervous energy she glanced over at Sam and saw that he was looking out at the ocean, quietly watching the night.

"Sam, look, I know that I get a little obsessive…"

"Jenna, it's ok. I didn't say what I said to be cruel, it's a long story and one I don't want to get into right now – if ever. I'm ok with helping out at the clinic, if you still want me there." Sam told her, turning his full attention to her and away from the hypnotic waves that he'd seen.

Smiling, Jenna was about to respond when they heard the revving on an engine behind them. Not seeing any lights, Jenna was confused by what she heard. Sam however looked behind them and yelled for her to go faster. It wasn't until she felt the impact on the rear bumper that she was able to see the outline of another car in the dim lighting. Trying to gain speed, she tromped on the accelerator as Sam grabbed the wheel to help her keep the car steady. After another couple of jolts, she was surprised to feel Sam unbuckle her seatbelt as they came upon a curve. She was even more surprised to feel herself airborne with Sam's hand holding her arm tight, right before the world went upside down over and over again.

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AN: Let me know what you think... review's help me write faster! ;) 


	24. Chapter 24

Jenna knew that she should be terrified, but she was too shocked to feel any emotion whatsoever. Of course, it helped when you're dangling off the side of a cliff, the only thing keeping you from hitting the slope and rocks below is the hand that has hold of your jacket, the hand that just so happens to belong to the one person that you've come to trust more than anyone outside of your family; Sam.

Looking up she saw that he had hold of a rock face with his left hand and still managed to keep hold of the back of her jacket with his right. Knowing that they were in trouble, she continued to watch as Sam looked up towards the road, listening to see if there were any signs of the vehicle returning. Finally he looked at her and smiled.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked, trying to keep Jenna calm. He was glad that she was a lightweight and that the jacket he had hold of was actually a military grade field jacket instead of something that she had picked up at the mall. "Jenna, I need you to grab my legs and try and climb up, ok?"

She heard what he said, but couldn't understand how he was able to stay so calm about it. Nodding her head, she first grabbed hold of his right leg until she heard him grunt in pain, then she reached up and wrapped her arm around his waist, pushing her feet against the rocks to help her ascend. She had managed to get on his back before she fully understood what was going on. Someone had run them off the road and if it hadn't been for Sam pulling them from the car, they both would be dead.

"Jenna, calm down. Just hang on, I think I can maneuver us up, but you have to be still, ok?" he asked, knowing that she was starting to come out of her shocked stupor, and that if she started to freak out while they were still in their present position, they probably wouldn't get back up to the road. Feeling her nod against his shoulder, he let out a breath, and looked back up to decide the best route.

Finally grasping asphalt, Sam lunged forward to grab hold of the guardrail post. "Ok Jenna, you go first and I'll be right behind you." He hoped she would hurry, he was beyond tired, he could feel his muscles burn and the urge just to close his eyes was becoming to tempting. Feeling her weight shift, he looked to see her climb over the side and place herself as far away from the side as she could without being in the road. Suddenly missing her warmth on his back, he shook his head and tried to focus more on getting himself back on solid ground.

Watching Sam swing his leg over and pull himself up and over the side of the cliff gave Jenna such a sense of relief. Now they just had to worry about getting back home without anyone else coming along to finish the job; sure, no problem. Looking Sam over, she saw the cuts on his hands and face, and knew that she wasn't looking much better at the moment. She was thankful that he had his hoodie on otherwise who knew how much damage he would have probably sustained, especially since she distinctly remembered him taking the brunt of her weight when they landed and slid off the road to begin with.

Sam knew that Jenna was starting to piece everything together, and he let her process the events in the way she needed. Right now though, they needed to get back. Digging into his pocket, he found his phone and was thankful that it still worked even if it looked like it shouldn't. Calling the main number, he knew that the Colonel would answer and after answering a couple of questions, he hung up and looked at Jenna. "Your Dad's on the way, we should walk up the road until he gets here."

She sat there stunned, not quite believing what she was hearing. They had just managed to escape with their lives, and all he could think of was… _walking_? All she wanted to do at the moment was curl up somewhere and sleep, to forget this night ever existed, and he expected her to get up from her nice safe spot? Insane! He had to be totally and completely insane! She was just about to tell him exactly that when he spoke again.

"If we sit here too long, our muscles will tighten up. It's better to keep them loose until we can get you back home." He told her, knowing how much she was wanting to just loose herself in the darkness at the moment, to forget everything if only for a little while. He couldn't let her do that though; he had to keep her safe, even if that meant dragging her off the asphalt and marching her ass home.

"Your hurt, we need to look at those…"

"Jenna, I'm fine! Right now we both look like we went a couple of rounds with a grater and lost, let's just get going so your dad won't have to drive as far, and we won't have to wait as long." Sam said abruptly, hoping that she wouldn't keep reaching to touch his head which was bleeding way too much and would definitely need stitches. _Damn it! _Taking off his hoodie, he pressed it hard against the gash along his forehead and hoped that maybe he would be able to get the bleeding to stop. Right, like the rest of the day had gone _so_ well.

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After answering the Colonel's questions and riding with him to see the crash site, Jenna started to break down. Not only was she almost killed, but she had lost the last thing that her mom had given her, and in a bizarre way made her feel as if she had lost her all over again. Looking at the two men in her life, she couldn't help but feel puzzled but Sam's reactions. He made sure that she was taken care of and had even told her father that she probably needed a hug, but he had kept his distance from both her as well as her dad. She hadn't noticed it at first, but when her dad had gone to pat Sam on the back for his quick thinking, Sam moved back and came up with an excuse of 'Thanks sir, but my muscles are feeling it right now' leaving her dad to look him over again before nodding and ushering them both into the car. Sam had sat in the backseat tense, making sure not to lean back, as if he was going to ruin the upholstery. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew this distant person wasn't the Sam she knew, this one seemed borderline paranoid.

Terrance had raced to his daughter's side as soon as Sam had called. Now after seeing the wreckage in one spot, and where they had dangled with their lives literally hanging in the balance in another, he knew that the money he was going to pay Sam was grossly inadequate. Sending up a series of thank yous to the heavens as well as to his wife, he tried to concentrate on just getting his daughter and her guardian angel home safely. Looking in the rear view mirror he saw just how tense Sam had become, and was starting to get worried by it. Hoping that it was just a reaction to the evening's events and not something more serious, he pressed harder on the accelerator not wanting to take any chances.

Sam had watched as the Colonel had looked at the remains of Jenna's car, and then where they had gone off the side. At first he thought that somehow he would get blamed for not keeping Jenna safe, but when the Colonel looked up, Sam could see the gratitude in the man's eyes. Now they were heading back to the house, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. All he wanted was a hot shower, then he'd worry about the stitches that he needed; even though the gash wasn't bleeding as much, it was still being stubborn. He looked around and made sure that the only thing he was bleeding on was his hoodie, then looked back out the window to see the house come into view, and felt the night start to catch up to him.

Celia knew something was wrong as soon as the phone rang. Five minutes later she was running out of her apartment and driving down the road towards the house that she had already come from once that night. Sighing, she couldn't help but wonder if she should just move in until the Musketeers got back. Shaking off that thought, she had just pulled up front when the Colonel opened the front door and escorted her inside.

"Jenna is upstairs in the shower, Sam wanted to clean up and make sure she was alright before he went to his room and did the same. I swear Celia I could have lost her tonight. If it hadn't been for Sam…" he allowed his sentence to drift off, not wanting to give that thought anymore power than what it had already. Leading her to Jenna's room he made sure that Celia had everything she needed before he made his way back out. Sam had insisted that Jenna be checked out first, and after everything that happened, he wasn't going to turn the boy down.

Celia had finished checking Jenna over for injuries, and was amazed at how the girl had managed to escape her ordeal with as few cuts, scrapes and bruises as she had. Unfortunately that meant that a certain someone probably took the brunt of it. Sighing, she knocked on the door that had been designated for Sam's use and waited. When no one answered, she checked the door and let herself in, hoping that the kid hadn't passed out in the bathroom. "Sam?" she called out, still not hearing any response she walked across the room and knocked on the bathroom door. Waiting only a moment, she opened the door and found the bathroom equally empty. Taking a moment to look around, she noticed that for someone who had just used it, everything was exceptionally clean. She shook her head in amazement as she shut the door, mulling over the fact that Dean Winchester had a neat freak for a brother.

Not one to give up, she searched the house until she came upon him in the laundry room, sitting on the washing machine reading a worn out paperback. "Hey Sam, watcha reading?" she asked casually, hoping he wouldn't give her a hard time about looking him over. Smiling, Sam looked up at her and held out the book for her to see. As soon as she got a look at the title she laughed, "The Three Musketeers? Hmmm, I'm seeing a pattern here. So, tell me, who's d'Artagnan?" she asked more than just a little curious to see his perspective.

"I'm not sure, but I think Dean would make a great Porthos." He said, putting the rubber band around the book to keep all the pages together.

Watching Sam made her wonder just how much joy he actually had without his brother being around, thinking about everything she already knew, she felt that it couldn't have been much. "Ok, Sam, I need to look you over and make sure everything is working properly otherwise that Colonel upstairs will have my hide."

Sam let her listen to his chest and heart, then allowed her to poke around, even voluntarily showed her all the bumps and bruises he sustained. The cuts and scrapes had already been cleaned with antiseptic and didn't need too much bandaging since they had stopped bleeding and were already starting to scab over. When she reached up to look at his forehead, he stopped her. "I've already cleaned it, and stitched it."

Shocked that someone so young could know what they were doing, she insisted on taking a look anyway and was immediately impressed with the small stitches and the faint smell of antiseptic that still lingered. Nodding, she allowed him to put the bandage back on and smiled. "Sam, I must say I'm impressed. Not too many people could stitch themselves up like that and in the time you did it too. So let me get this straight, you took a shower, stitched yourself, cleaned the bathroom, changed and started laundry all in the time that it took me to calm Jenna down so I could look her over and treat the minor scrapes that she got. I'm starting to think you need a cape with a large S on it." She told him with a big smile.

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Terrance was looking out the window onto the beach trying to get the phone call he had just received out of his head. It had been a rough day as it was, too much information, too little time to get it straightened out, too many delays with transportation problems, then the suspicions that what they were looking for wasn't what they should be watching out for had just made the tension skyrocket throughout the day and into the night. Then just as he had fooled himself to believe that the rocky part of his day was over, the phone rings to tell him that his little girl had been forced off the road, and _would you mind coming to get us sir?_

He liked Sam, he really did. The kid had a way about him that could make you think of the boy next door if you could get past the vicious words that were carved into his face. Then there was the part of him that made you thankful he was around to keep the horrors of the world away. He had heard about Sam for years thanks to Dean, had been told about how the kid brother was already challenging his teachers when he didn't agree with them about something that he _knew_ was wrong. Apparently little Sam was ahead of his time, and greatly unappreciated for it. His favorite story about Sam though was how Dean got his tape collection, every time Dean would tell it; he would get a smile on his face that would last for hours afterwards.

_They were in a bar, kicking back trying to get over the reaming they all had just received and looked like kicked puppies while they nursed their bruised egos with beer when Dean piped up._

"_Hey Colonel, did I ever tell you how I got my music collection?" Dean asked, looking around the table smiling._

"_Winchester, whatever you have in that ratty box is not what most people would call music." Stephen smirked, knowing where this was going and knew that they all could use a little laugh._

"_Some people have no taste." Dean smarted back before turning back to the Colonel. "Well, we moved around a lot, and it wasn't as if we had a lot of money, so when my birthday came around, I didn't expect anything. So there I am sound asleep when I'm being nudged awake by my ever geeky little brother, who at the same time was trying not to wake our dad up. Of course at first I'm thinking it had to be a joke, because there was no way I was going to get up unless I had to – which by the way was in fifteen minutes. But there he was anyway, holding this box wrapped with the pages of his Batman comic book. The kid is practically bouncing on the bed, he's so excited, and I figure ok, I'll humor him, since he probably worked really hard on it, right." He paused looking around to make sure that everyone was really listening before he continued. "So I look in the box and there's the cassettes of my favorite bands staring up at me – brand new. I couldn't believe it. It was the best present I'd ever gotten."_

_Everyone smiled, and the Colonel knew that he was missing something that had these hardened soldiers smiling like a bunch of lunatics. Thinking over the story something came to him and he had to ask. "Dean, how old was your brother?"_

"_Eleven sir, he was eleven years old when he gave them to me." Dean answered momentarily lost in his own thoughts._

_Then it came to him, they didn't have much money, and an eleven year old brother…_

"_Dean, how'd he come up with the money?" the Colonel asked, and seeing the expressions on the other men's faces he realized that he hit the right question._

_Dean looked at him and said simply "Cans."_

_Dumbfounded, the Colonel could only parrot Dean's answer, and then he couldn't help himself. "CANS?" he asked, sure that he hadn't heard correctly._

_Nodding, Dean confirmed, "Cans, yes sir. We were living on the same block as a bar and Sammy took it in his head that if he could sell cans from the parking lot and people he knew, why couldn't he sell the cans from the bar." Laughing, Dean shook his head, "I didn't find out about it until later, but he'd take off for a couple of hours a day and then hit the bath as soon as he got home. Well, I found out that he'd borrow one of the neighbor kid's wagon and go dumpster diving until he had the wagon filled with sacks full of cans then walk down and sell the damn things. We lived in that place for about two months and I have no idea how many times he did that until he had enough money."_

_Taylor was laughing so hard he was about to cry when he said, "Come on… tell him the rest."_

"_So, he's got this money, and I still don't know how he was able to hide it for that long, but he needed to go to this record store in the strip mall on the other side of the highway that was having a half off sale, and being the brilliant kid he is, asked an older neighbor lady for a ride if he'd clean out her basement. Of course she said yes, only after he spent a whole weekend of doing nothing but clearing all the junk out of the small dark room that no one had been in for years. That's bad enough, but apparently she was legally blind and hadn't had a license for the last twenty years. How the hell he survived, I don't know. You know what he told me when I asked why he didn't just walk?" Dean asked the Colonel, "He said and I quote, 'Dean, you know you don't let me off the home block by myself.'" By this time the table was roaring in laughter and Dean was still going, "Yeah, like I'd allow my kid brother to go dumpster diving at a bar, either. Unbelievable!"_

Terrance still remembered having to wipe his eyes with a napkin he had laughed so hard. The love that Dean had for his little brother was evident in the man's face, and it was obvious by the boy's actions that he loved Dean just as much. So now he had to face a harsh reality that he had hoped to avoid. How was he going to tell Sam that someone lost his big brother?

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AN: hope you liked, let me know! 


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Sorry for the wait... had trouble posting this last night.

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Celia was standing next to the Colonel with a distressed look on her face when Sam walked in. Sensing he was intruding, he turned to leave when the Colonel called out for him to join them. Not knowing what to expect, he walked over to them with a confidence that he did not feel. Now more than ever, he wished he was home with his brothers; getting used to new people's nuances was always difficult for him, he'd seen deception too many times to take anyone's actions at face value. Thinking about that though, made him realize how much he had already come to trust his brother's friends. Not wanting to analyze that at the moment, he pushed the thought away and tried to concentrate on the Colonel.

"Sam, son… please sit down." Terrance knew that this could destroy the boy in front of him, but he couldn't hide the facts from him either. "Sam, as you know your brother, along with the rest of who we affectionately call The Musketeers, was sent on a routine information gathering mission. Normally, there wouldn't be a problem. However, this time… damn, Sam your brother has missed the last two check-ins and there is no way for us to know where he and the others are. We know that they never reached their point of contact, and that right now a very discreet search is going on, but so far we haven't heard anything."

"He's not dead." Sam said, looking at the Colonel.

"We have no…"

"No sir, that wasn't a question. I'm telling you, he's not dead. I would know if he was." Sam told the Colonel firmly, not taking any chances at being misunderstood. "He'll find a way to call in, just give him time."

Looking at Sam, Terrance knew that the kid was sure of what he said, and looking at the boy he found himself believing it too. "You're right, he will. I didn't want you to find out about your brother being missing from some other means, and I hope you trust me to let you know as soon as I hear anything."

Sam looked at the Colonel and nodded, "Yes Sir, thank you, but you need to understand sir, I'm not missing _a_ brother, I'm missing four. If its ok, I'd like to go out for a ride now; I'll be back soon."

Both Terrance and Celia watched as Sam walked out of the room, and shortly afterwards heard the door open and close. They both understood that it was going to be a long night. "How about I make some coffee, and we can sit here and pretend the sun is already up?" Celia asked, already making her way to the kitchen.

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Dean hated days like this, everything that could have gone wrong did, and now they were hiding from the very people that they were supposed to be helping. 'Nope, definitely a day we should have stayed in bed.' He thought wryly as he looked across the roadway to where Taylor and Stephen were hidden behind some crates next to a building. How things got so screwy they all were still trying to figure out, but it wasn't helping that their radio crapped out on them as soon as they had touched the ground.

Looking around he saw Joseph still propped up under an abandoned delivery truck, still in a daze from the knock on the head when a youth mistook him for a thief and proceeded to use his head for batting practice. Shaking his head, Dean knew that he shouldn't laugh, but he couldn't help but find the humor in it. Out of all the people that could have been mistaken for a thief and the kid picks _Joseph_? Hilarious!

He took a chance to try and get a better view of the street, but what he saw didn't help matters any. This time of day, the street was mostly filled with merchants and people doing their daily shopping, there were still several men armed with rifles looking around and under tables trying to find them. 'How the hell did they know we were here?' he thought, and by the glimpse he saw of Taylor, he knew the other man was thinking the same thing.

Motioning to Taylor that they needed to go, he quietly edged back and collected Joseph before making their way from the area. Hopefully they could get to their emergency rendezvous point, but that was still twelve hours away not to mention the distance may as well have made it on Mars.

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Sam had no idea what he should be doing, he just found out that his brother… no, _brothers_ were missing and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He hadn't meant to be abrupt with the Colonel, but there was no way he would accept that Dean or the others were dead; not unless their cold bodies were presented to him first, and even then he'd be skeptical.

Being out in the night air made him feel better; less trapped. He liked Jenna and the Colonel, but the house even as big and open as it was, still made him feel caged. Not paying attention to where he was going, or for how long he was out, he was surprised to find himself in front of the apartment building. Looking up, he wished for a light or some sort of movement; anything to show that someone was home and that the whole day had been a nightmare. Feeling ridiculous for even thinking something so childish, he turned back around and headed back to the house, taking time to see everything around him on the way back.

The sun was starting to come up and he knew that he had been out longer than expected. Making an effort to hurry back, he put more focus in peddling than sightseeing until something caught his eye. After a few minutes of analyzing what he saw, and making a note of where he was, he hurried back to the house only to wonder how long he really was gone when he saw the police cars in the drive.

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Celia had agreed to stay until Sam returned, just in case he needed to talk or had any trouble while he was out. She smiled thinking of how he set the Colonel straight about how many brothers he had. 'I'll have to be sure to tell the guys when they get back.' She thought, knowing that they would be happy.

Looking at the clock, she was starting to get worried that Sam hadn't returned, and walked into the Colonel's den to ask him about it just as he hung up the phone. Looking up he smiled slightly at her. "The police will be here in a little while for official statements from the kids. Apparently they were able to corroborate that they had been run off the road, and not just lost control." He said bitterly, trying hard to rein in his temper, but the attitude of the officer he just spoke to was really pushing him to the limit.

He turned his attention to the clock and realized just how much time had passed since they let Sam go out on his own, and now he worried that he had made a huge mistake by letting the boy do so. 'Damn it, I was so worried about Jenna I totally forgot that Sam has a stalker of his own.' He thought, disgusted with himself that he couldn't seem to keep everything together for one lousy night.

"Celia, are you sure you can stick around until Jenna wakes up or Sam gets back? I want to go look for him, he left around three and he's still not back, but if Jenna starts one of her roaming streaks…" he knew his daughter, and she could be a handful if she got wound up, but he still didn't want her to wake up alone.

Any answer that was going to be given however was interrupted by the doorbell announcing that the officer had arrived.

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After passing Ed at the front door, Sam walked into the house and what seemed to be an asylum. Jenna was going toe to toe with one officer while the Colonel seemed to be in an argument of his own with another. Standing in the doorway he didn't know whether to join in or run back out while he still had a chance.

"Sam!" Jenna exclaimed, obviously happy to see him, "Would you please tell these officers what happened? Apparantly they think that it's some sort of joke!"

"Miss, we never said…"

"You implied that not only did I not know how to drive, but that I had no business being out after dark, how did you put it officer? Unescorted? Well here's my escort! _Any other brilliant notions?_" Jenna sneered, daring the man to challenge her further.

Sam knew that Jenna was trying to be imposing, and under any other circumstances it probably would have worked, but apparently the officers were having trouble being intimidated by a teenage girl wearing Kermit the Frog jammies, green fuzzy slippers, and her hair up in pig tails held tight in pink ribbons. Yeah, he was seeing the problem with that too. Shaking his head, he tried really hard not to laugh, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with her curly pig tails bobbing up and down as she continued to rant. Finally having enough of the fiasco that was in front of him, he grabbed Jenna's arm and dragged her upstairs. "Jenna, you yelling at them isn't going to get them to listen, stay here and I'll take care of it. Don't come back downstairs until they're gone." He told her firmly, hoping that she'd listen, but knew that she wouldn't. He could only pray that she would wait until she changed into something a little more…appropriate for browbeating and officer of the law?

By the time he got back downstairs, the Colonels complexion didn't have that interesting shade of maroon to it anymore, and had gone back to a blazing red as the discussion, although not as heated, continued. Looking over at the officer that Jenna was in verbal combat with, he motioned for the man to ask what he needed, he had no idea how he was going to answer without sounding like a complete idiot.

"Ok son, we get that your girlfriend has a license, and that someone ran you two off the road. What we don't know is who, and for what purpose. We also have evidence of the other vehicle but apparently Ms. Erickson doesn't know the difference between a Bug and a Berretta, so if you could shed some light on the subject, we could fill out our reports and try and find out what happened."

Sam didn't like the guy's attitude, and he wasn't even going to touch the girlfriend remark. Looking at the Colonel he hoped the older man knew how to handle this, because he knew with the way things were already going, he'd screw things up even more if he opened his mouth; these guys had armed weapons and the authority to put him in a tiny cell. No, opening his mouth at the moment was probably a really bad idea.

Terrance saw Sam's dilemma, and was wondering how to get him out of it. Finally, he saw the report page in the officer's hand. "Officer, since you have to take down the statement anyway, why don't you let Sam write it out for you?"

Ten minutes later Sam was handing the page back to the officer explaining why they were on the road, what had happened and even included that it was an 80's model Ford sedan that rammed into them. Having what they needed, the officers had no other reason to stay, however advised the Colonel to expect a visit from one of the detectives assigned to the case.

Seeing the men out, Terrance slammed the door behind them in frustration, smiling at the satisfying sound of glass rattling. Turning from the door, he saw Jenna coming down the stairs looking more like herself and less like the six year old he wished she still was. 'I really need to find out how Sam does it.' He thought as he watched his little girl walk right by him, pointedly ignoring him, and then made an obvious snub at Sam as well. "Or maybe not, looks like he's in the doghouse too.'

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Stephen knew that he should be thankful they didn't have to ride camels, God he hated those beasts, but now they were in the back of a truck filled with chickens hoping that the watch that Taylor had given the owner would keep him from calling attention to them for awhile longer. It had been a hell of a day, and the night didn't seem to be giving them a break either. It seemed that just as soon as they had gotten clear of the unofficial army that had taken upon themselves to hunt them down, the bastards would show up again out of the blue. They had their suspicions, and they all had vowed to share them very loudly during the debriefing, assuming they got there. Sighing, he looked up and silently prayed that no matter what, Sammy hadn't been told about them being out of contact yet. 'The kid'll freak.'

Joseph knew he was in trouble the moment the kid hit him the first time with the makeshift bat, he didn't need to be reminded of it the second and third time. Now he had a headache that made his brains feel like marbles rolling around in his head, and just the thought of food made his stomach want to go on strike. So now he was surrounded by chickens, which was foul enough, but the driver of the truck had decided to take out his dinner and eat while driving. It was taking everything he had not to lose it completely, and there were still no guarantees on how long he could last. If they could just get to the chopper that would be waiting, he might feel better. His only worry was how Sammy would take knowing that he got his skull cracked by a kid.

Taylor was still trying to get the radio to work, but it was being stubborn about letting him know what was wrong in the first place. Sighing, he turned off his pen light and looked around, the temperature had dropped considerably since nightfall, but all they could hope was that he man driving them to their destination was honest and had no relationship whatsoever with the person that was supposed to be their initial point of contact. It was a lot to ask for under the circumstances, but they didn't have much of a choice, they had been too far out to make the rendezvous on foot, even if Joseph hadn't been hurt. Now though, they needed all the help they could get because they sure as hell weren't going to leave someone behind. Looking up at the stars, he couldn't help but wonder what their little brother was up to, hopefully just hanging out with Jenna making cow eyes at each other… yeah, that's what they're doing.

All Dean wanted was a) a nice long hot shower preferably with a certain little hottie, b) his brother in one piece, safe and sound, c) all of them home safely and marking this mission to be one _never_ to talk about _ever_. Not necessarily in that order. Ok, so it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't remotely good either. Now they just needed to get back to hospitable ground, Joseph to a doctor, everyone back home, and make sure that a certain little brother hadn't become a trouble magnet again. Huh, when he thought about it in those terms, it sounded _so_ easy. Looking at his watch he knew they would be cutting it close, but there was no way to hurry without looking suspicious, and God knew they looked suspicious enough. One thing he did know; he was never going to eat another egg again.

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AN: Hope you liked it, let me know! 


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Sorry for the delay everyone, we had some family drama and it knocked my concentration out of whack... I'm still not totally thrilled with this chapter, but then again, who am I to judge? Hope you enjoy anyway!

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The day seemed to drag along with everyone waiting to hear something from the Musketeers. The Colonel didn't want Jenna away from home, and Sam didn't want to venture too far from him. Breakfast had been passed over, and lunch had been a quiet affair on the back patio, so it wasn't surprising when Jenna announced that she wasn't hungry and went back up to her room. The Colonel watched as Sam kept an eye on Jenna until after she was in the house.

"You do a better job at keeping your cool around her than a lot of people I know." He said, as he watched the young man in front of him take another drink from his can of soda. "Sam, I want you to know that I will never be able to repay you for protecting my daughter, thank you." He told Sam sincerely, watching him closely.

Sam looked at the Colonel for a moment, he really didn't know what to say; he wasn't used to people thinking he did a good job. Finally, he nodded before turning back to watch the waves as they moved onto the beach. He knew that they all were waiting to hear if his brothers made it to their pick up point, and they wouldn't know that for at least another two hours. Until then, he tried to focus on any number of other things, but was failing miserably.

Terrance watched Sam and couldn't help but worry, he knew that with every minute that the phone did not ring was another minute that his brothers were unaccounted for, and another minute that the Colonel watched Sam sink further into himself. 'Damn it Dean, you all better be alright otherwise this kid is going to fall apart.'

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Jenna had been fielding calls most of the morning, ever since she talked to Vic about what happened. Apparently Sheila Sorenson had been close enough to overhear, so now the whole school knew what had happened and that Sam had saved her from certain death. Of course by the time the story got around, not only had Sam saved her from a near fatal car wreck, but had faced off against an army of assassins and took a bullet for her all while not breaking a sweat. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when Vic called her back to let her know that the story was still being expanded, and that he thought by the end of the day the gossip mongers will have made Sam into Superman in disguise.

She had been trying to give Sam some space, but it was really hard; she was a social person and if someone she knew hurt, she had a tendency to try and help. Now though, she was trying to suppress that instinct since she suspected Sam wouldn't appreciate it. 'Then again, what does he know about what he needs?' she asked herself as she walked out of her room, completely ignoring her ringing cell phone.

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Sam was on the beach talking with one of the other guards about what had happened the previous night, when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Already knowing who it was, he didn't acknowledge the presence until they had finished and an agreement was made that the others would keep a closer eye out for visitors.

Turning around, he saw Jenna waiting impatiently and he couldn't help but smile, she really didn't do well being idle. Normally people like Jenna made him nervous, it was something about them always on the move, even when sitting they seemed to be vibrating, it was something that he had found not only disconcerting, but untrustworthy in many of the hunters he had run across. Knowing that Jenna had been trying to give him space earlier, now he allowed her to latch onto his arm and lead him further down the beach.

"I know that Daddy went into the office so he can stay on top of things, he'll let us know as soon as he hears something." She said, trying to sound optimistic without being annoyingly chipper. She knew that she sometimes put people off by being upbeat all the time, but it was the only thing she knew that she could do to alleviate stress.

Seeing that Jenna was trying to make him feel better, Sam nodded his head and smiled a little, hoping that everything would be alright. Looking out towards the ocean again, he started to feel better, as if it was suddenly easier to breathe. Smiling at Jenna again, he silently guided her back towards the house, he had a feeling that they needed to be close to the phone.

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Damn it felt good to be in a chopper again. Admittedly, Dean never thought he'd feel that way being an uneasy flyer, but then again - get shoved out of a perfectly good airplane a couple of dozen times and you start to get used to not having your feet on the ground all the time. Looking over, he saw Joseph doing his best not to hurl, he's already said that he wasn't going to get checked out until they got home, and it looked like the stubborn fool was going to make good on that promise; going so far as to watch their every move so they don't knock his silly ass out. Seeing that he got caught looking again, he gave Joseph a '_What_?' look that made the other man roll his eyes and good naturally flip him off.

Taylor and Stephen watched the exchange and couldn't help but laugh, after being chased for over a day by a small private military force; it was nice to be able to relax for a few moments. Sitting back, they settled further against the side of the chopper and tried to get a nap in before they would meet up with the next leg of their journey back home.

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It always amazed the Colonel how fast a piece of gossip could spread through the base, and today was no different. By the time he had gotten to his office, he had been stopped a couple dozen times by people asking how Jenna was and if the danger had passed for her. It was as nice as it was annoying to know that people paid that close attention to his family and their turmoil. Sighing, he grabbed his coffee again and walked into the room that had the most activity to see if there had been any word, not expecting there to be from the amount of time he took to walk across the hall.

The whole day had dragged it's heels, and now as the time came for there to be word, one way or another, it seemed as if the whole room was at a standstill; everyone waiting for the signal from the chopper letting them know if they were picking up cargo or if they were passing by.

Five minutes passed the appointed time, and he was starting to wonder what it was with these people not checking in, when a tech announced he was getting a call. Putting it on speaker, they all listened as a voice could be heard barely over the sound of the chopper blades, "Cargo is in the hold, all pieces accounted for."

Those words brought an outburst of cheer among the others in the room. They knew that their brothers in arms hadn't been gone long, but any amount of time missing could mean way too many things, they all were glad that they could bring them home.

Smiling, the Colonel left instructions to keep him updated, then left to return to his office; he had a call to make.

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Sam and Jenna sat at the kitchen table trying not to look at the clock; however it was easier said than done considering they could hear the grandfather clock in the living room count out two o'clock, and still no word. Jenna watched Sam take another drink from his soda can and realized that she hadn't seen him eat anything all day. Feeling bad that she hadn't taken his needs into consideration, she volunteered to fix them a snack, but he shook his head and looked out the window again.

She hadn't known Sam long, but she had already figured out that although he was a quiet person, this much quiet was not normal and meant that he was dwelling on something way too much. Knowing that he was worried about Dean, she resigned herself to stay close in case he changed his mind, or if he decided he needed to talk. The clock ticked off the minutes and Jenna was starting to get upset with her father for not calling at all, didn't he realize how much they needed to hear about what was going on?

The ringing of the main house line made both Sam and Jenna jump out of their thoughts and race for the phone. Jenna being able to use the 'I'm a girl' card, made sure that she was the first one to the phone, but she handed it to Sam with a smile. Taking the phone from Jenna, Sam hesitantly talked to the Colonel, and smiled. "Really sir?... yes sir, that's great… yes sir, I will, and thank you sir."

As soon as he hung up the phone again, he felt Jenna grab him around the waist and hug him tight. Not sure what else to do, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, replaying the conversation in his mind. Suddenly he stiffened and pulled Jenna away. "Oh my God! We have to go Jenna, now!" he said as he pulled her out of the kitchen and into the garage.

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As much as the day dragged on until they heard that the missing team had been found and picked up, the rest of the day and evening had sped by in the preparation of their arrival and subsequent debriefing. The Colonel hated not being able to give Sam more specifics, but until he knew which one of his men were injured, he didn't want to worry the boy anymore than he already was; the kid had barely ate since the Musketeers had left.

Now as he stood in front of a hanger close to where they would be dropped off, he had to wonder how such a simple mission could have gone so badly so quickly. Sighing, he knew that it would be part of the meeting that they were about to be subjected to. There were people with higher clearance than he had sitting in a conference room waiting for these guys to walk in and tell them why there mission was a bust. Looking at his watch he saw that it was midnight and they should be arriving any minute.

Fifteen minutes later, the Musketeers were walking toward the Colonel, and none of them looked pleased. As soon as they all greeted the man, they filled him in quickly on what happened, and then helped Joseph into a Jeep that would take him to Celia who was already waiting for him. As the rest walked towards their destination, Dean looked over to the Colonel.

"So, do I still have a little brother sir?" he asked jokingly, but stopped short at the look the Colonel gave him.

"Dean, don't worry, Sam's fine. The kids had some excitement and with you four missing, I could tell it's starting to take a toll on the kid." The Colonel quietly explained, hoping that they could wait about getting in depth until after the debriefing with the higher ups; otherwise he had a feeling that he'd have to drag three soldiers down the hall. "I'll explain more later, just fill these guys in on what happened, so we all can get home and get some sleep."

Dean, Taylor, and Stephen looked at each other and nodded. They weren't happy not being able to find out about Sammy's 'excitement', but they knew the quicker they got this done and out of the way, the quicker they would be able to leave.

They had been dismissed after two hours of questions and comments from those higher in the ranks than the guys figured they'd ever be, and conjecture from people that looked like they hadn't seen combat except for what they saw on a made for TV movie. After reining in their natural tendencies, they were finally dismissed with the exception of the Colonel who was told to stay behind awhile longer.

Dean was torn between trying to get home to his phone to try and get hold of Sammy, or wait for the Colonel and have him fill in the details. As they walked out to the parking lot where Stephen's Suburban sat, they were surprised when they saw a lone figure leaning up against it. Doing a double take, they all were in shock to see the one person they had thought about while they had been gone; Sammy.

Waiting at the Suburban had sounded like a great idea at first, then when he finally saw his brother's he wondered if he had messed up; they didn't look all that happy to see him. He had ridden his bike from the Colonel's house as soon as Jenna had promised not to go anywhere until he got back; that shouldn't have taken a lot of time, but apparently she felt the need to try and come along… repeatedly. Not sure what he should do, he continued to stand there wondering if he'd made a mistake in coming, after all they were just standing there staring at him.

Dean was the first one to get over his shock of seeing his Sammy right there in front of him, and rushed towards him grabbing the kid up in a hug before reducing him in size with the help of a noogie. "What the hell Sammy? Isn't it past your bedtime?" he asked, only half joking. Looking his little brother over, he wondered if it was the light from the parking lot playing tricks or if Sammy really had lost weight.

"Hey Dean," Sam said quietly, happy that his brother wasn't mad at him, "I'm glad you're back."

Dean and the others looked at each other then back at him. It was Stephen that had to break the silence, "Uh huh… we heard that Jenna's giving you a run for the money?" he said with a smile, but it faltered when he saw the hesitation in Sammy's face.

Taylor and Dean saw it too and were just about to ask about it when their little brother asked, "Do you think I can spend tonight at home… with you?"

Without hesitation, they put their bags and Sammy's bike in the Suburban and took off towards the apartment, making a quick detour to the base hospital on the way. They had already talked to Celia and got cleared to visit Joseph, so as they were walking in they didn't think too much about their favorite doctor walking up to them until she spoke.

"Sam! You're not having trouble with your stitches are you?"

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Jenna didn't like being at home by herself; it was one of those things that had always bummed her out. When her mom was alive they would crash on the couch while waiting for her dad to come home, but now she didn't have anyone to share that with. She thought she had found it again with Sam, but now he's gone and made her promise not to leave the house. At first she had tried to hold out with not leaving home, but he quickly amended it to the house since she could easily have included the beach as part of her home. 'He's definitely smarter than what our teacher's give him credit for.' She thought, admiring how she had been able to discuss some of their assignments with Sam without him staring off into space or rolling his eyes at her observations.

Sighing, she turned on her stereo and listened to the DJ finish his monologue before playing Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, and couldn't help but wonder if Sam would like it if he heard it. Lying back on her bed, she wondered more about Sam and what had happened to him in the four years he was missing. She had gotten to know Dean pretty well, and knew that he was very concerned about where Sam was and what he was doing, but he never elaborated. Now, she knew Sam herself, and couldn't help but get drawn into the mystery.

Looking over at her phone, she wanted to call him to make sure that everything was ok, but then remembered that his phone was barely operational, so decided to wait until he got back; even if it meant staying up all night to accomplish it.

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As soon as Dean heard Celia's question he froze on the spot and looked at Sammy closely, finally seeing the edges of a bandage through the kid's bangs. "What stitches Sammy?" he asked, sure that someone was going to say that it was some sort of joke. After all, the one little thing that they had asked was that he be in one piece when they got back, now they find out he had to have stitches?

Sam couldn't believe Celia, whatever happened to doctor patient confidentiality? Jeez, if he wanted to be fussed over, he would have said something, hence the reason he hadn't mentioned it. Rolling his eyes, he quickly tried to cover by nudging by Dean, "It's nothing, just a little accident."

"Sam, an accident is 'Oops, I tripped down the stairs', not 'Some madman ran us off the road and after jumping out of a moving vehicle, rolling on the road and sliding off a cliff, we managed to hang on long enough to climb back up and get help.'" Celia said looking fairly miffed at Sam for downplaying what happened.

Dean stood there in shock and knew that Taylor and Stephen felt the same way. "What the… Sam… were they… are they…" Dean couldn't finish a sentence and he couldn't seem to grasp one thought out of the jumble that was swimming around in his brain.

"Oh, and just so Mr. Toughguy here doesn't tell you… he stitched himself up too." Celia finished, not giving Sam a break, knowing what the response was going to be.

"WHAT!?!" exclaimed Dean, Taylor and Stephen at once, all of their attention suddenly swinging to their little brother who was suddenly trying to make himself very small in a very long hallway.

"Sammy, I don't even want to think about how you pulled that off, but tell us that you had Celia look at it at least." Stephen asked, trying not to come completely unglued. Sammy was supposed to be safe, and come to find out not only had he almost died, but that he patched himself up too. It was almost too much to comprehend.

Taylor watched as Sammy looked down at the floor, not daring to look at anyone. He couldn't comprehend what was going through the kid's head that he felt that he couldn't let them know that he had to have a couple of stitches, and a near miss with the reaper. Watching Dean, he knew that he was the one that was feeling some heavy duty guilt at the moment and wondered how they were going to fix this.

Dean just looked at his little brother and wondered how things could have gotten so screwed up that Sammy would prefer to keep something like this from him instead of sharing the burden. Rubbing his hand across his face, he was at a loss; he had thought that his brother trusted him more than that.

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AN: Well, how'd you like it? let me know 


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Sorry for the delay in updating... had some excitement so it slowed me down a little. Hope you enjoy!

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Sam looked at Dean and saw his big brother look as if he was disgusted with the whole conversation, which was what he had been trying to avoid in the first place. He didn't have anywhere else to go, not that he really wanted to, and he was starting to feel like he's messed up again. Watching Dean closely he started moving slowly back towards the door. "Iiit's nnnotthing Dddean… uh, Iiii'll gggo hhhome." Sam stuttered out, not knowing what his brothers were thinking of him at that moment, and really not sure if he wanted to. They had just got back and now they were all upset with him, he didn't know what to think and he just wanted to get outside before the smell overwhelmed him and he _totally_ lost it.

Dean looked up when he noticed Sammy start to move, but when he heard his brother speak, he knew they had to do something – quick! Looking at Stephan and Taylor, they nodded slightly and backed off just a little; scaring Sammy wasn't going to help anybody at the moment. Looking back at his little brother, Dean tried to stay calm but was having a very hard time with that considering that Sammy looked terrified of him at the moment. "Sammy, it's ok… it just surprised us, that's all. Look, if you tell us that you're ok, then we'll believe you, but you have to tell us the truth. Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked, seeing the small bandages on Sammy's hands.

Stopping in the hallway, Sam heard Dean talking, but wasn't sure what to think. What he saw and what he heard were two very different things. To complicate matters he was having trouble figuring out what was then and what was now; he always had that trouble in hospitals, why he voluntarily walked into one he couldn't figure out.

Celia was watching Sam's reaction, and then something hit her senses full blast. The cleaning crew had just finished their nightly mopping and the antiseptic smell was horrendous, she usually blocked it out, just another day at the office, but now, looking at it through Sam's eyes, she realized her mistake. "Dean… get him out of here now!" she demanded, hoping that they could get him out before he had a full blown panic attack and made the situation snow ball out of control.

Not hesitating, the remaining Musketeers steered Sammy out the door and watched as he started to pull air into his lungs as if he hadn't breathed in days. Worried, they were about to reach out for him when he said simply, quietly, "Don't". Trying to respect his wishes, but the concern for their little brother overriding any common sense, they were at a complete and total loss. They all turned toward Celia as she walked up to them, wondering what she could do or say to make this right.

"Sam, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that, are you alright?" she asked, watching Sam carefully for any other signs of distress; hoping that they were able to get him out of the hospital quick enough. "Sam, listen to me. Your brothers are here and they're going to take you home, ok? Later, if you want to come back and see Joseph, you can. For now though, you need to get some sleep, I know that you haven't slept all night, and it's starting to catch up with you." She saw that he was listening, if not in total agreement, and was happy with that. Making sure that he wasn't going to take off, she turned back to the guys. "Well, I've just made a mess of things." She said, shaking her head in disbelief, when she saw there confusion she started to explain. "I read Dr. Long's book, and although it didn't go into every treatment of his, it does explain a lot. You're father wanted total control, and she helped him get it, by using drug therapy and trust exercises. Dean, he had no one else; by the time she was done with him, your father could have told Sam that he was really a baby hippo and he wouldn't have been able to deny it. He was to trust your father completely so that when he started having one of his '_delusions_' about you, he could look to the one person who '_grounded_' him for guidance to pull him out of it. I'll tell you this much, read the damn book; it might be the tip of the iceberg, but you'll be able to figure out what his triggers are." She told them then patted Sam on the shoulder before returning inside.

Looking at each other, then back at their Sammy they weren't sure how to handle this one, but one thing passed through each of their minds; they were going to read that book.

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Walking in the front door Terrance knew something was wrong as soon as he looked at his daughter sitting in her pajama's eating ice cream out of the carton and watching static on the TV. Feeling the headache from earlier sneaking up on him, he actually thought about sneaking up to his room – for all of two and a half seconds. Putting his briefcase down by the door then made his way to the couch.

"Hey sweetheart, what's going on?" he asked while casually looking for the remote hoping to at least change the channel.

Jenna sat there for a moment before she turned, "Hi Daddy, Sam's not here and I wanted some company, but I think I put the wrong tape in." she told him with tears still in her eyes. Terrance froze for a moment, trying to remember where he had put those videos, when his daughter's voice broke through his thoughts. "I put in the one from Momma's last birthday."

'Ah, _that_ video.' He thought, not sure if he felt relieved or not. Jillian's birthday had been a wonderful day on the beach, until there was a huge blowout with her parents and unfortunately the tape was still going and he hadn't remembered until now that he hadn't edited the damn thing, which meant that she had heard every vile thing that her father and grandfather were screaming at each other that day. Sighing, he nodded and held her close, knowing that this wasn't the only thing that was upsetting her.

"Daddy, I know that Sam needed to see his brother, but shouldn't he have been back by now?" she asked, hoping that there was a simple explanation since Sam had left quite awhile ago and hadn't called. She knew that she sounded like a brat, and maybe she was, but she really wished that Sam was there with her right now telling her without words that everything would be ok.

Looking at his daughter, Terrance thought he knew what was really on her mind, and although he knew he shouldn't encourage it, he couldn't help but smile at her. "Jenna, right now I think he just needs to reconnects with Dean and the others. I know that you see him as your hero, but he has a life too you know." He told her, hoping that she would understand what he was saying; he may be paying Sam to protect her, but that didn't mean they owned him.

Jenna sighed and nodded, she knew what he was really saying and she knew that she had been right; she was acting like a brat. She needed to remember that Sam wasn't hers to begin with, and even if something did come of all this, she still had to share him; but then again, he was so worth it.

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The ride to the apartment was a quiet one with Stephen driving, and Taylor and Dean flanking Sammy in the back; none had forgotten the near miss they had with Sam that last time he was upset in the car. Finally arriving, they quickly unloaded everything and made their way up the stairs keeping an eye on their silent little brother the whole way. It wasn't until they all got inside that Sammy finally spoke up.

"Uh, are you still mad at me?" he asked, hoping that he wouldn't get yelled at too much, his head was starting to hurt and all he really wanted was to stretch out on the couch until morning and get back to Jenna. Somehow though he knew he wasn't going to get the opportunity.

Dean looked at Sammy and wondered what was going through his little brother's head. "No Sammy, we're not mad. How about you, you ok now? What happened while we were gone?"

Sam looked at Dean and told him what happened the previous night and how the police were looking into it. He also told them about how Jenna had stood up to an officer in her pajama's, getting a laugh out of his brother's, making him relax some more.

Seeing the change in his brother, Dean smiled and patted him on the back. "Don't worry Sammy, we're cool. So, how about we just kick back for awhile?" he asked as he fell back onto the couch and put his feet on the coffee table, looking at Stephen and Taylor to see if they'd follow his lead. In less than a minute, the three of them were on the couch and making room for their little brother, while turning on the DVD player with the remote.

The sound of the front door being opened and men with toolboxes walking in brought the Musketeers out of a deep sleep and to their feet reaching for nonexistent weapons. Looking around, they all came out of their surprise at the same time and understood two things. One: These were the contractors that they had been told about, and Two: Sammy was nowhere in sight. Smelling something in the kitchen, they looked to see if their little brother was hiding out, but was surprised by a fresh pot of coffee, and a note on the table that said:

_There's a breakfast casserole in the oven, and the coffee is from the neighbor next door, she says it's from her homeland… whatever that means. Anyway, I have to get back to Jenna. I'm glad you're all ok, I already called Celia and Joseph will be home this afternoon. _

_See you later, _

_Sam_

_P.S. Sorry about busting my phone, I'll pay for a new one as soon as I get paid._

_P.P.S I made the team._

As they re-read the note, they couldn't believe what they saw. Not only had their little brother snuck out on them, but managed to make breakfast and a call without any of them being the wiser. Most disturbing though was that he thought they'd be mad about the stupid phone, and obviously thought it was more important than the fact that he made the cross country team at school. Looking at each other, they all knew what they needed to do. "I'll dish up breakfast... I'll grab the coffee… I'll get that book." They said together, knowing that if they were going to help Sammy, they needed to know what they were dealing with.

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Sam had walked into the Colonel's house and had a feeling that he should leave while the getting was good, something was going on and it sounded more like a family issue. As he was about to detour into the kitchen he heard Jenna call out to him.

"Sam! I'm so glad you're back, my grandparents will be here any minute and Daddy is adamant about you going with us." She said trying to braid her hair while talking and slipping her shoes on at the same time. Watching her reminded Sam of a contortionist he saw one time on TV.

"Uh, go where? Don't we have school today?" Sam asked confused. He knew that he wasn't supposed to start practice until Monday, but he was sure there was supposed to be a test in the Literature class, not that he was ready for it, but he didn't want Jenna to miss it.

Jenna finally got her stubborn mass of hair under control in time to answer him without distraction. "Uh huh, but when my grandparents found out about what happened, they wanted to come and see that I was alright for themselves and they wanted the rest of the day to replace my car, not that anything can replace Sandi, but I can at least look, right?" she asked, sure that he would see how this would be a great day.

"Sam, I've already argued with her grandparents, and unfortunately they are even more stubborn and bullheaded than my daughter. At this point, if it means that they will quit calling me every two minutes, then it will be worth her skipping school. Do me a favor though, make sure she get's something safe instead of sporty, they have a habit of going for the more expensive models. I have to get back to the office, so I'm trusting you Sam to help keep Jenna in check." The Colonel said as he walked over and kissed Jenna on the top of her head before he turned to leave. "Remember, they're only here for a short amount of time, and then you're stuck with me." He told her smiling widely as he walked out of the house and into the morning.

Looking from the door to Sam, Jenna smiled then took his hand and dragged him to the couch. "So… how's the Musketeer's?" she asked, hoping that since he was there it meant that everyone was alright.

Smiling, Sam took his hand back before he answered, "Joseph got hurt, but he's supposed to go home today, and everyone else is doing alright. They were pretty wiped out when they got home though; they slept through me getting ready. I know that I'm quiet, but I really expected the smell of the coffee brewing would have woke them before I left."

Jenna sat back and watched as Sam talked about her brother and his friends as if they were the greatest people in the world. She knew that he was a naturally quiet person, so for him to share anything besides the most minimum of answers was a treat, and it was one she was enjoying. Unfortunately her enjoyment would have to wait; her grandparents had arrived.

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Dean had been reading the passages that pertained to Sammy while Stephen took notes, and Taylor paced the kitchen floor. What they had learned not only made their skin crawl, but made them want to put their little brother into a bubble so nothing could ever touch him again. The book was full of evidence of the horrors that one person could inflict upon another, and it made them all seriously consider murder upon the person responsible. Their only quandary was who was more as fault; John who was clearly disturbed, or Dr. Long who blindly believed John in the first place setting everything in motion until the final result was a boy who had trust issue in the purest form.

Dean looked over Stephen's notes and wanted to hit something. The suggestion of putting the drugs into Sammy's food and water to make sure he was staying 'on track' had made Dean see red, but it was the mention of one of the times that John had taken Sammy back and they had to 'physically restrain the young patient to the point of placing him in a jacket and a solitary safe room for his own protection.', that had him plotting out the many ways he was going to make the bitch pay. Dean hadn't gone to college, but he was pretty sure that she had put his little brother in a straight jacket and padded cell, all because he wouldn't listen to John anymore and wanted to find his brother. No wonder he started to freak at the hospital, and why he doesn't trust pre-opened food. Now all they had to do was get him to trust them enough to let them help him through it. Laughing slightly at that absurd notion, Dean realized that the one person that Sammy had been made to believe in was the one responsible for his pain, but it was the one who he had trusted the most and the longest who had hurt him the most. How was Sammy supposed to trust him when he'd already proven that he didn't deserve it?

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AN: Let me know what you think! 


	28. Chapter 28

AN: So sorry it's taken so long for an update... I got caught up in the ice storm in Oklahoma and just now got internet up and running thanks to a generator. So... here we go, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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Sam watched as Jenna tried to stay diplomatic with her grandparents as they at first insisted that she didn't need 'personal security' while with them, and even if she did – a much more _suitable_ one would be required. He managed to hold back a smile when she blatantly told them that without her _unsuitable_ personal security they would be picking out coffin instead of a car today. Apparently she had no problem speaking her mind when the mood struck, and Sam had to wonder if she got that from one of her parents or if she developed it on her own.

Watching carefully the surrounding areas, Sam didn't like that Jenna was out in the open while she stood in the middle of the dealership arguing with her grandparents, but then again at this point he wasn't too fond of her grandparents and he knew the feeling was mutual. As they stood out in the open, Jenna's grandmother would glance his way as if _he_ was planning to attack; a notion that made him stare at her until she looked away.

He knew that they loved their granddaughter, but he really couldn't get rid of the feeling that Mr. and Mrs. Conner truly felt that anyone not within their circle of friends needn't be bothered with, making them not worth consideration or respect. Jenna had been asking his opinion all day about what he thought, to which Mr. and Mrs. Conner would interrupt by saying, 'Oh Jenna' as if she had told the most ridiculous joke. Undeterred though, she wouldn't stop asking until he would give her an answer, which usually meant they would leave one dealership for another. At this rate, Sam knew he was going to know the going rate for every foreign sports car in town, and he was pretty sure there was no way he could put that information to any good use.

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Jenna had been trying to control her temper all day, but she was at the end of her rope. She loved her grandparents, but they were truly a pair of snobs who she found very little in common with. She knew that they and her father never got along and since her mother's death it had only gotten worse, but for them to start in on Sam when he had done nothing except save her life twice and not respond to their barbs was just unconscionable in her opinion. Not to mention if she had to look at another high priced automobile that would keep the free clinic running for close to a year, she was going to pull her hair out. At this point she wanted to go home and sit in the tub and not think about anything for the rest of the day. She was really starting to wish she hadn't missed school for this little outing.

They had just passed a BMW dealership that her grandparents were upset that she didn't want to go when she yelled for them to stop and pull over. Dragging Sam out of the car she ran across the street, pointed and yelled, "This one! I want this one!" much to the absolute horror of her socialite grandparents.

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Dean couldn't help but worry. He had already talked to the Colonel and found out that Sammy and Jenna weren't at school today because they went car shopping for Jenna. He couldn't help but shake his head, John had taught him to drive by the age of ten in case they got in a tight spot and he needed to get Sammy out of harm's way, and he was driving them around by the time he was fourteen for the fun of it, it wasn't until he was out of that influence that he found out how odd that was. Now though, he's hearing that Jenna, who's sixteen birthday is in a couple of weeks, is getting her second car. It boggled his mind what society will and will not accept when.

Now he had no way to contact Sammy directly since his brother's phone had been smashed and he hated the idea of having to call Jenna's phone just to check in. After what he, Stephen and Taylor pieced together, the last thing any of them wanted was for Sammy to think he was in this alone. Unfortunately, with him being out of the house most of the time anyways, it was going to make things more difficult.

"Ah, screw it!" he said, already reaching for his phone and dialing Jenna's number.

On the third ring he heard a very annoyed Jenna answer and it took him a moment to remember why he called. "Uh, hey Jenna, it's Dean. Can I talk to Sammy? His phone was messed up."

"Oh, hey Dean… yeah, just a second." She told him, clearly distracted.

He was puzzled at not only her sudden change in attitude but what he was hearing as she passed the phone to Sammy. _'No grandpa, I want that one… I don't care what your friends think.'_ Wondering what she was talking about, it took Sammy a couple of tries to get his attention. "Oh my God! Sammy! Sorry dude, I uh spaced out for a sec. Hey you got a minute?"

Sam laughed at his brother and had to wonder if it was a blonde or redhead who made Dean 'space out'. Watching Jenna argue with Mr. and Mrs. Conner was actually starting to wear him out and the interruption was more than welcome. "Yeah Dean, what's up?" he asked, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Honestly, I wanted to check in with you. I know that you're out with Jenna at the moment with her grandparents but I wanted to make sure you're ok." He stopped and wondered if he really sounded as lame as he thought he did.

Sam looked at the phone puzzled. "Uh, yeah I guess so. I can fill you in tomorrow night if you want." He said wondering if there was something else on his mind. "Hey Dean… is everything ok?"

Dean had thought he had been subtle, but then again Sammy had always been too smart for his own good. "Everything's fine Sammy, just wanted to make sure you've eaten something today…" he stopped in mid sentence and wondered what the hell his problem was today. He hadn't called to see if he ate… well, ok… that was one of the reasons, but there was so much more that needed…

"I miss you too." Sam whispered, clearly trying to make sure he wasn't overheard. "I'll be home tomorrow night."

Standing there for a moment with his phone still in his hand, Dean replayed the conversation in his head until it finally hit him. 'He considers this his home.'

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Jenna could see that Sam had something on his mind, but she was still trying to convince her grandparents that her volunteer work at the clinic was very important, only to have them pat her hand and say 'Of course it is dear.' As much as she loved her grandparents, she couldn't help but hate them just as much for their attitude, mainly because it seemed as if they were disrespecting her mother's memory by the things they would say.

Trying to let the topic go, she allowed the subject to change to a more mundane topic, like school. She knew that they got regular updates, but thought it would be a good time to impress them with Sam. "Oh everything's great; Sam made the varsity cross country team after the coach asked him to try out. You should really come to one of the meets." She said enthusiastically waving her fork around while she talked.

The conversation did not pick up from there like she had hoped and she couldn't help but wonder why Sam looked as if he was wanting to sink into the floor.

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Sam knew Jenna meant well, but he couldn't understand why she just couldn't leave it alone. It was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Conner had already guessed that he wasn't good enough to be around their granddaughter, but for whatever reason Jenna seemed determined to draw him further into her life. She had insisted that he join them for supper and no matter how many times he had tried to explain that he didn't feel like eating anything, or that her grandparents politely tried to steer the invitation to some other time, she wouldn't hear of it; claiming that he needed to keep his strength up if he was going to continue to rescue her from uncertain death.

'One more day,' he thought, 'one more day and I'll get to be home for a little while. I wonder what Dean and the guys are doing right now.

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Dean, Stephen and Taylor had rushed to Joseph's room to let him know that he'd better get home quick since Sammy was going to be there the next night. After they explained everything they had found out, Joseph hit the call button and told the nurse he wanted released, AMA if he had too; they needed to get stuff ready for their little brother.

They knew after talking to Amber and Heather that the contractors had been working on the new room for both apartments the last several days and were confident that the main structure would be finished early afternoon the next day, which just left the paint and trim which the Musketeers were more than happy to do; anything to surprise Sammy.

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Jenna was driving her new dark green Honda Accord towards L.A. with Sam sitting quietly in the passenger seat and his bike torn down and tucked neatly away in the back. She couldn't figure out why he had to take both his backpack and his bicycle practically everywhere with him, but she figured that it added to the mystery that was Sam Winchester.

She had spent most of the evening upset with him until she thought about how her grandparents had treated him and how he took it without even blinking. That made her more sad than mad. He couldn't help how he was raised the last couple of years and he also had no control over what her grandparents thought, but he still acted like the Sam she had been getting to know, and that had to account for something.

Thinking about how Sam had sat at the table the night before without actually eating made her wonder why he would do that. It wasn't what one would consider normal, then again, hardly anything about Sam was. Now though, maneuvering through Saturday morning traffic to get to the clinic, she wondered if maybe she was just trying to make him into something he wasn't. Sighing she glanced at him and not for the first time, wondered what Sam was thinking.

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As Jenna parked, Sam looked around at the neighborhood taking into account who seemed to belong there, and how much Jenna seemed to stand out. As they walked to the front entrance, Jenna started to explain how she usually visited the patients who lived in the hospice before she checked to see if there was anything else she could do. Sam wasn't sure what it was that he'd be able to do to help, but he thought he could find a way to occupy his time if he wasn't needed.

Celia walked up when she saw Sam and Jenna and smiled. "Hi you two, how's things today?" she asked, knowing that Jenna was ready to jump into her routine, and Sam was just jumpy. "Jenna, I'll show Sam around and then after you're done upstairs you can meet up with us, ok?" Holding out her arm to Sam, Celia looked at him with a wry grin, "So, how about I give you the grand tour?" she asked before he looped his arm through hers and they started down the hall.

"Let's see, where to start. We try to keep everything homey, so people aren't so nervous. We've found that the more nervous someone is, the more they won't get help. We take care of everyone in the neighborhood who's suffering from something as simple as a cold to more complex conditions like cancer, hepatitis, and AIDS. We have our own lab facility and thanks to the Jenna Foundation we were able to get hold of the equipment to get the results of the HIV tests back in twenty minutes, instead of two weeks. We have a greenhouse in the back along with a garden full of medicinal herbs, and we have a holistic practitioner who comes in twice a week to work with people who like a more natural form of treatment, as well as a completely stocked pharmacy so that our patients don't have to have their anonymity compromised by going to another pharmacy away from the clinic."

They had been walking around and looking at the rooms and the windows to the lab before they made it outside to the garden and green house. Celia was proud of what she was a part of, and she wanted to show it off. Smiling at Sam, she couldn't help but ask, "So, any questions?"

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Jenna had been nervous about bringing Sam along with her to the clinic, most people tried to stay away from it as much as possible, and if they did come they seemed more worried about being seen than helping out. So when she had finished reading another chapter of Danielle Steele's book to Mrs. Wynenheim, she was pleasantly surprised to see Sam helping stock one of the supply closets on the first floor. Watching him for a moment, she really had to wonder if he was for real, or if maybe he was just really good at being what others wanted him to be.

Shaking her head, she called out to him and told him she was going to the reception area to help clean up the children's toy corner, and to wish her luck. She hadn't missed the smile full of dimples when Sam turned to her and said, "Luck!" before he turned back around and continued what he was doing. Thinking about those dimples, Jenna didn't see Celia until after they collided in the hallway, and even then, Celia looked as if she was in a whole other world. Knowing how much she cared about her patients, Jenna didn't think anything about Celia's preoccupation and went off to see if ice really did get bubble gum out of carpet.

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Joseph had taken to delegating what needed to be done since he still got dizzy anytime he stood up too long, but the guys didn't mind; they were just glad he was there with them instead of the hospital. They had managed to convince the contractors that their room needed to be done first, and before noon they were able to mud and paint the room, allowing the paint to dry with the windows wide open. They had all hoped that the paint would be dry enough to set up some furniture, but they realized that without knowing exactly when Sammy was going to be home, then they were probably cutting it close.

Finally getting all the paint and supplies cleaned up, they set up a game of cards so they could look like they weren't waiting for their little brother when he got home. However as soon as the door opened, they had engulfed him in another hug and shuffled him to the door to his new room.

Dean looked at his little brother and finally opened the door, "Welcome home little brother."

Sam stood there at the doorway and couldn't believe what he saw. He had known what was going on, but to actually see it finished amazed him. As he stood there in the middle of the room, he couldn't imagine filling it with anything, and felt bad for what he considered to be a waste. Before he had a chance to say anything though, Dean broke into his thoughts.

"Hey, you know we didn't have time to get your furniture yet, but that's a good thing. Now you can pick out the stuff you like and we'll put it in here for you. What do you think?" Dean asked as he watched his little brother look around the empty room. 'Damn, this was a bad idea.' He thought, looking around to Joseph, Stephen and Taylor seeing that they were thinking the same thing.

It took Sam awhile to figure out what Dean said, and then it occurred to him that he hadn't said anything at all yet. Finally though, he turned and smiled, "It's great, but I think it's too big." He said, wondering what he was going to do with that much room.

The guys laughed at him and started making suggestions about what he needed to get and where the best places to put it would be. So excited about the new events, they failed to notice the uninvited guest who was watching from the backyard.

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AN: I hope you all enjoyed it... let me know! 


	29. Chapter 29

Breakfast had been a subdued affair considering half the guys were hung over from a late night poker game, and the other two had decided to let them have their coffee while they had a full breakfast eliciting groans from the three miserable Musketeers. However, as soon as the clock on the stove said ten a.m., they all were ready to drag a certain little brother out the door to find furniture for his bedroom, whether he really wanted to or not.

Three hours, two malls and countless shops later, they were no closer to finding anything that seemed to catch Sammy's eye, and it was getting more than a little unsettling on how quick little bro could shoot a whole store down. Of course it didn't help when they had walked into a brightly lit shop advertising a huge sale, only to have a salesman in a very bright suit flounce up to them all the while gushing 'Well hello dahlings! What _can_ I do for you today?' to which Sammy's only reply was 'I don't _think_ so' before he turned around and walked out into the main mall.

They had thought they had found a winner when Sammy had spent fifteen minutes looking at each piece of furniture in a set and even opened and closed the drawers on the dresser while looking at the bedding and finally laid on the mattress for a few minutes. However, something had caught his attention and he suddenly looked ill before he jumped off the bed and quietly announced that they needed to keep looking. Puzzled, the rest followed him out of another store wondering what had just happened. Suddenly Joseph stopped making the rest of the guys look at him strangely. Quickly giving his theory about what was going on, Joseph explained the only thing that made sense; little bro was looking at price tags. Cursing softly, Dean couldn't believe that it didn't occur to him to block the damn things from view. They had just formulated a plan, when Sammy walked up and asked if they could go home for awhile.

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Sam was worn out. Shopping with Jenna the other day and now going through the same thing with his brothers really made him think that there was something wrong with him. He couldn't see the point in spending the same amount of money for a car that some people could buy houses for, and at the same time, couldn't see the need in spending thousands of dollars on furniture that's only going to be sitting there anyway. He was ready to go home and try to figure out a way to make both his brothers and himself happy about this.

Having already asked if they could go home, he was hoping for a nice quiet ride back to the apartment, but that was out of the question with Dean looking at him as if he was a strange bug. He knew what was coming, but couldn't find a dodge fast enough.

"So Sammy, what gives? We were sure you liked that last setup, why did you say no?" Dean asked, wondering if Sammy was going to fess up to the real reason or come up with some strange excuse. When he shrugged his shoulder and looked out the window again, Dean was sure that he wasn't going to get an answer, and was surprised when he heard his brother mutter, "What's the point" making him and the others worry even more about what was going on in his head.

They were getting close to home when Sam perked up and asked Stephen to pull over. Finally getting to the side of the road, they looked at him as if he was going to do some strange trick, and he couldn't help but smile at the vision he got of him jumping through hoops at a circus. Climbing out of the SUV, he walked back to the neighborhood yard sale that was going on and started looking around.

Stephen watched Sammy as he started to look around at the items for sale and rolled his eyes before looking at the other guys. "You know, we could have figured this out on our own." He said, not believing that they hadn't taken into consideration how their little brother would act around certain situations – including retail.

Dean watched his brother mingle with the people in the yard and wondered about what he was seeing. Their Hungarian neighbor was there and was introducing Sammy to everyone making sure that everyone knew what a 'good boy' he was. Looking at the others, his reaction was mirrored in their faces. Getting out of the Suburban, they made their way to their brother and the little grandmother who had obviously taken Sammy under her wing.

"Oh good, you're brother is here too. Good, good! Now young Samuel, what are you looking for today?" she asked in her heavily accented voice, all the while looking up at Sam as if he was the most wonderful person in the world. Turning back to the remaining Musketeers she smiled. "Samuel helps me get inside every time we meet, and oh the wonderful boy helped me fix my lighting. He is such a good good boy."

If it hadn't been such a shock to them, they would have laughed about Sammy blushing, but as it was they could only stare and look at their little brother for an answer. Finally he looked their way, "It's no big deal, her step is cracked and she trips on it, so if I see her I help." He said quietly, not really looking at them, and wishing now that they hadn't stopped even though he saw something that he thought he could use. Dean looked between his brother and the old woman in front of him. "Oh really? Tell us, what else is our Sammy like?"

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Sam had finally gotten away from the small group who obviously had nothing better to do than to talk about him. He didn't know why he felt uncomfortable with his brother's knowing that he knew their neighbor, but he just wished that she had kept their friendship a secret; it really was no big deal. She suffered from insomnia and a lot of times so did he, it just made sense that their paths would meet, especially when he would return from his morning runs. Now though, it sounded as if she was ready to nominate him for sainthood, and that made him very uneasy. 'If she knew half the things I've done, she'd run the other way.' He thought, a part of him enjoying the thought of scaring the old woman, while another part of him took the previous part of him out for a little 'discussion'.

He was at the furthest section of the sale and saw what had originally grabbed his attention; a wooden futon with a blue mattress accented in red and green streaks. Leaving his brothers to do whatever it was they were doing, he took a closer look and saw that one of the legs had been broken, exposing the metal rod and screws that held it together. Knowing that even if he had to replace the leg, it wouldn't be hard and it would hardly cost anything for a piece of wood. Walking back towards the front of the sale, he saw a low sitting chest of drawers that looked more like a coffee table than a dresser, but with as little clothing as he had he knew it was perfect for his room; it could set in front of one of the windows without blocking the light. It didn't take him too much longer before he found a few other items, had found someone to pay for them and was already starting to load them into the Suburban with the help of one of the guys who was helping with the sale. Now all he had to do was get his brothers' attention so they could go, unfortunately he had no idea where they went.

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AN: Sorry so short, I'm still trying to get my 'groove' back... hope you liked it anyway. Let me know!!! 


	30. Chapter 30

AN: I hope this chapter is to everyone's liking... I think I'm getting back into the swing of things (or I'm delusional)... let me know either way:)

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The Musketeers had been listening to Mrs. Varga talk about how their Sammy reminded her of one of her brothers who had been killed by the SS in the Second World War, and that every visit that she gets from him makes her smile the rest of the day. They had met her when they moved in, but had hardly seen her since; it was amazing that she and their little bro had been able to hit it off so well in the little time that he had been with them.

"He is such a quiet boy, and so polite. I am sure you all know what a good boy Samuel is, yes?" she asked, looking at each man in turn trying to convey how much their little brother meant to her.

Dean smiled and looked at the others before answering, "Yes ma'am, we do. Speaking of Sammy, we need to find him before he thinks we forgot about him." Looking around the area, they didn't find him at first, but on the second look Taylor pointed to the Suburban noting that the back door was open. It wasn't until they had gotten close that they saw it was already loaded with stuff and Sammy was reclined in the front passenger seat. None of the men wanted to admit out loud how relieved they were to see him there, it was just a reminder of how precarious their situation with little bro was; anything could have happened while they were distracted.

Sam had fallen asleep when he heard someone walk up to the Suburban. Knowing that it was more than likely his brothers he didn't open his eyes at first, just let them look inside and see what he got. He listened to them berate themselves for getting caught up in Mrs. Varga's stories, and he couldn't help but smile. He had met the nice lady after his first morning run, he had just finished and was wanting to hurry back so he could try and figure out if what he was seeing was real or delusion when he noticed an old woman walking back up her sidewalk and looking at her porch as if it was her greatest adversary. It hadn't taken long to help her onto the porch, and he was even able to get her inside and settled before making his way back home. "Don't worry, she talks to everyone like that." He called out to the back of the SUV, interrupting the conversation.

"Sammy! Hey, you ok? You kind of dropped off on us there. Tell you what, we'll go settle up and then get home, maybe you can finish your nap on your new bed." Dean said trying hard not to be paranoid about why his little brother was napping like a little kid.

Getting out of the vehicle, Sam looked at his brothers and smiled. "I already paid, and I wasn't napping, I'm not two you know." He reached in the back for the used Walkman radio/cassette player he bought and asked, "Can we stop off at the store? It needs batteries."

The guys didn't know what to think, here was Sammy standing before them talking about buying a bunch of stuff that they hadn't even seen him look at and couldn't help but wonder if what he said was true. Not wanting to doubt him, but not wanting to contribute to theft either, Dean was between a rock and a hard place and wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Looking at the rest of the Musketeers they were about to say something when a man walked up to them holding a box and smiled.

"Great, you haven't left yet. My wife about had a heart attack when I told her that you bought the futon without taking the bedding we had for it." He said, watching as the men next to the SUV looked relieved, and the young man beside him seemed oblivious to what was going on behind him. Puzzled, the man held out the box, and watched as the largest of the group reached out and took the box. Not wanting to seem like some sort of strange stalker, he nodded and turned back to the sale realizing he had walked into something bigger when he heard the younger one speak.

"I'm going to walk back, you can ask everyone if I paid for this without feeling guilty about it." Sam said as he started walking down the sidewalk, leaving his brothers to stand there in shock.

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The afternoon had been tense around the apartment, and none of the guys could seem to get past what happened at the sale. They listened as Sammy put together the futon after deciding that the broken leg was just cosmetic and was sturdy enough without redoing it, then he arranged the dresser thing off to the side without asking anyone for help. That made them all feel worse, especially when they each had asked if he was hungry, but their only response was a slight shake of the head before he went back to work putting things together and rearranging everything.

Having completely forgotten that they had invited a buddy from the base over for a couple of games of poker, they were surprised when the doorbell rang and saw Kevin Woods standing there with a six pack of beer in one hand and his box of poker chips in the other. "Hey guys, why the long faces… ah, you already know I'm going to beat you. Great! You can give me all your money now and save yourselves the embarrassment."

Stephen hated Kevin's over the top personality, he really did. Kevin was the type of person that if you said that you climbed Mount Everest, then he'd make sure you knew that he did it twice – once with a blind man, and the other with a pack of ill orphans in tow. The man was loud, abrasive, and had a way about him that reminded Stephen of claws on a chalkboard, but he was good for keeping a promise and helping out when needed. Motioning him in, Stephen suddenly wished he hadn't when Kevin saw Sammy standing there in his bedroom doorway.

"Hey, so here's the freaky little brother! I was wondering if we'd meet; how about you put these beers in the fridge kid, and don't even think about swiping one." Kevin said as he stepped into the apartment and took a look around.

Dean wasn't really in the mood for Kevin's crap and was going to say so when his little brother shocked them all when he walked up and took the beer. "Sure, hey, you don't think I could sit in on a game with you do you?" Sammy asked as if he was really just a kid wanting to sit at the grown up table.

Kevin looked at Sam and smirked, "Tell you what kiddo, you let me take care of these guys and I'll show you a few things afterwards, ok?"

Taylor saw little bro's eyes darken a few shades, and his stance stiffen slightly, and he couldn't help but wonder about it. Before he could question further though, Sammy relaxed and put on an excited grin before enthusing "That would be great, thanks!"

Two hours later, the guys watched as Kevin took the remaining amount of their chips with one thing going through their heads. _He's cheating, but how?_ Dean was feeling more than just a little frustrated, he'd been taught to pick out a cheat, but right now he wasn't sure exactly how Kevin was doing it, and now the guy had the rest of his chips and there was no way he was going to dip into his reserves just to find out.

Sam had been watching his brothers get fleeced for the past hour and a half, and he knew that the new guy was cheating. Usually a person would pick one way to tilt a card game to his favor, but this guy was using more than just a couple of tricks. Reaching over to the cabinet that he knew the guys kept extras of just about everything in, he found a nice new deck of cards and started shuffling like he was trying to figure out how everything worked. Finally after another agonizing half hour, the last of the chips were collected and he knew it was his turn. Looking shyly at Kevin, Sam asked, "So, is it my turn now?"

Startled, the Musketeers couldn't help but cringe at the thought that their little bro was about to get his ass handed to him, but before they could stop him Sammy had already put a deck of cards on the table and was looking at Kevin as if he was twelve year old looking up to a master instead of a fifteen year old boy who had seen too much. Looking at the deck of cards, they started to catch on; Sammy's deck was black, while the ones they had been playing with were blue.

"Sure kid, I tell you what though, how about you and me just have a nice friendly game, no money involved?" Kevin asked, sensing that if he took the kid to the cleaners, then he wouldn't be getting out there in one piece. He looked around and noticed a lot of things that could mess him up bad. They were in the back portion of the apartment that had been converted for the weight training gear, hunting equipment and other supplies that would have been an eyesore in the 'main' portion of the converted apartment. He knew of the door on this side, but also knew that it had been sealed after the guys moved in. Nope, not the time to go all out with the kid.

Sam smiled and nodded enthusiastically, making his brothers wonder what had gotten into the kid. It was twenty minutes later when Sam suggested a small wager 'just to keep it real' that they had to wonder who was scamming who, and couldn't help but watch as Kevin continued to slip further into the spell that had been subtly created. An hour later the questions had answers and Dean was sure if they were in another lifetime he'd be proud of his little brother, but now he could only worry about his skills as a con artist. It wasn't until Kevin realized that either he was slipping, or the kid was better than he portrayed that little bro upped the ante.

"How about no money, but we put up something we have?" he asked, knowing that the guy sitting in front of him was getting suspicious, and was wondering if the guy was normally this slow or if it was a special occasion. Kevin looked at him as if he was interested, so he explained "One game, I put up my bike, you put up your watch."

Kevin couldn't believe the kid, it was bad enough that somehow he had won back almost all of the Musketeers money even though he had barely won any games, but now he wanted to gamble a bike against a collectible watch. Curious though, he asked, "Kid, do you know how much this watch is worth? Somehow I doubt your bike would equal that."

"It only matters if I lose, then you still have your watch and you gain a bike that you can pawn for fifty bucks, or sell outright for two hundred and fifty." Sam said calmly, watching the guy mull it over. He knew that the only attraction that Kevin had to the watch was it's rarity; Vic had told him that he had been looking all over the place for one to give his dad who collected, of all things, aviator watches and that Fossil had made only two thousand of their collector's edition and that people had flocked to the stores when it was released. Sam knew how much the watch and its tin was worth, the question was, did Kevin.

The watch was a gift from his girlfriend, and although he loved her, he wasn't all that impressed with the watch and the stupid tin box that it came in. He knew that he'd be in serious trouble with her if he lost the watch, but the kid had been winning about twenty five percent or so of the games, and he knew that the odds were on his side. He didn't need a bike, but he was sure that if the kid thought he could sell the bike for two fifty, then he could probably get more. Smiling, Kevin looked at the Musketeers and gauged their reactions, noting for the first time that they all had been quietly watching the games. When he saw no malice from any of them, he happily agreed. "Sure kid, one game, no hard feelings either way, deal?"

Fifteen minutes later, Kevin was leaving out the front door promising to give Dean the tin the next day. After shutting the door, Joseph turned around to see Sammy handing out the money that he won. It took a moment for them to realize what he was doing, and even longer before they understood what they heard their little bro say. "Sorry it's not all of it, I didn't want him to leave mad." He said before he went back in his room and shut the door.

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Taylor and Joseph were dishing out the late supper they had made while Dean and Stephen went to check on Sammy. They had the plates on the table when the other two men joined them without their little brother. Looking at each other, the question was asked without words.

Stephen answered for Dean knowing that the other man was still feeling pretty low about what happened earlier. "Sammy fell asleep reading, we figured that he might eat something later."

Silently agreeing with Stephen, they all sat down and started to eat when Dean quietly spoke, "I gave him that book before I left. He kept it with him all this time, and I keep doubting him. How the hell am I going to make it up to him?" he asked the others, while wondering how he was going to fix this one.

Before anyone could say anything, the doorbell rang making the Musketeers wonder who would be stopping by. Joseph being the one closest to the door answered it and stood there wondering who the kid was. "Uh, hi… I'm here to see Sam, I'm Vic… he called?"

"Hey Vic, come in." Sam said from across the room. He hadn't meant for Vic to show up tonight, but then again, the guy really wanted the watch. Motioning for the guy to follow, Sam lead him back towards his room when Vic asked a question that made the Musketeers more curios than ever.

"Dude, you really have it? I mean really? I've been looking all over the place for it, but the people who have it don't want to sell. So, how much you looking for?" Vic knew how much he was willing to part with to give his dad that watch as a gift, but he really didn't know Sam well enough to think he'd be willing to make him a good deal either.

Not shutting the door, Sam looked at Vic and shook his head. "I tell you what, you said that your dad had bought a new entertainment system, right? Have you got rid of the old one?" he asked, knowing that people in Vic's tax bracket usually tossed stuff once they were done with it.

Puzzled, Vic shook his head wondering where Sam was going with this, "No, not yet, he put it in the garage until he could get one of the charities to take it, why?"

Holding out the watch Sam looked at Vic, "I'll take the system from you in exchange for the watch, but you have to wait for the tin until I get it." He watched as Vic thought about it for a moment, trying to find a catch. He knew how much the entertainment system had cost new, and how much they had paid for its replacement since Vic had been complaining that his dad hadn't thought about getting a new one until they couldn't figure out how to plug in their Playstation to the TV without disturbing the surround sound. He would never be able to figure out people with money, but right now he needed an answer because he knew his brothers were outside listening.

"Look Sam, I know I have to be out of my mind for this, but the system doesn't work like it's supposed to, it wouldn't be right to…"

"Vic, don't worry about it, if it doesn't work then it doesn't work, if it does then I'm lucky." Sam said, wishing that the guy would hurry up, he was feeling a huge headache coming on, and he still needed to finish the homework that he'd been postponing all weekend. Finally Vic snatched the watch out of Sam's hand and looked like he was about to explode.

Looking at Sam, Vic couldn't help but smile. "Dude, seriously, anything you _ever_ need, just ask… really, _anything_." He told his new friend, he knew that he liked Sam, now he had no doubt that he was a good guy.

The guys watched as the kid Vic headed back out the door promising to have the entertainment system brought over the next day and wondered what had just happened. They then watched little bro walk into the kitchen as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. "Uh, Sammy… what was that about?" Dean asked, watching as his little brother walked back out of the kitchen with a bottled water and two packets of Advil.

Sam shrugged his shoulder, "Vic needed that watch, I knew that he had electronics he was throwing away, we made a deal." He walked back towards his room thinking that there really wasn't any point in doing his homework and was wondering if maybe going to bed a little early would help glue his head back together; he had definitely had enough of today, he couldn't even read a chapter anymore without his head feeling like raw hamburger, and he was supposed to put together an essay about the political climate of the day… yeah, that was going to happen.

Stephen couldn't help himself, they had left it alone too long. "Sammy, look about earlier…"

"It's no big deal Stephen. If you guys don't mind though I'm going to call it an early night." Sam interrupted; he really didn't need a reminder about how his 'brothers' really felt about him. All he really wanted was to lay down someplace quiet and to be left alone; he didn't even care about his normal evening routine, he just wanted to sleep.

Joseph had to stop Dean from following Sammy into his room, it was obvious that whatever he needed, it wasn't them jumping into him over something that he didn't even do. He felt bad for doubting him too, but until Sammy was willing to listen then they would just be wasting their breath. Sighing, he asked a question that was on all of their minds. "Sammy, what are you planning on doing with that stuff that Vic is going to bring over?" and was shocked when the muffled response came through the doorway, "Set it up in the living room unless you guys don't want it."

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Dean was beyond distracted, in fact if it wasn't for the fact that several people had covered his ass, he'd been in it hip deep with the Colonel. He couldn't get Sammy's face out of his head, and he had to wonder if he'd ever get the chance to make it up to his little brother.

The whole yard sale incident had been two days ago and when everyone had gotten up the next morning, Sammy had already gone to get Jenna then go to school. If it wasn't for the Colonel telling him that everything was fine he'd have no idea what was going on. Jenna had been going ninety to nothing trying to keep everything together for the Jubilee, and when she wasn't doing that she was off on one of her restless jaunts in the middle of the night; Dean should know, he had shown up in the middle of the night wanting to talk to Sammy, but the Colonel just poured him a drink and explained that the added pressure Jillian's parents were putting on Jenna to let the Foundation go was making her midnight adventures a little more erratic and his brother's presence needed even more.

Now though, he was having some major issues with the Colonel getting in between him and his brother and if he didn't see Sammy soon there was going to be some problems. It was bad enough that he'd alienated his little brother, but now he had to deal with a civilian attorney who at first had no idea why he went to her in the first place, but after explaining about Dr. Long, the book, and the confrontation, was more than willing to discuss a case of malpractice – if he was willing for Sammy's life to be paraded around in public because there would be no way to keep his identity a secret for long. He couldn't let the bitch get away with what she did, but he couldn't risk Sammy anymore either.

"Dean… hey Dean! Don't worry man, Sammy will be home soon then everything will get back to normal." Taylor said, hoping that he was right because he really didn't like the idea of little bro out there on his own.

Looking over at Taylor Dean could only hope that his friend was right, but then again when were things ever easy for a Winchester. Grabbing his phone, he took a chance and tried his little brother's phone number again forgetting that his phone was broken. He had just remembered that when he heard Sammy pick up. "Sammy? Hey! Uh… I haven't heard from you in awhile and I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"Dean? Yeah, uh… hold on." Sam said, then came back on the line sounding a lot clearer. "Sorry about that, I had to come outside, it's noisy in the cafeteria right now."

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Dean smiled a moment, Sammy didn't sound pissed. "Hey, I was wondering when you thought you'd be home. We set up that entertainment system in the living room like you wanted, and I have to say it's awesome dude!"

Sam smiled, he knew his brothers would like it as soon as Vic had mentioned all the gadgets that was bundled with it. The one that had been in the living room had been a pretty good set up, but this new one included the stereo surround sound system and a larger TV along with both a VCR and DVD player, not to mention some other stuff that even Vic admitted to not knowing what it did. "Cool, I'm glad you got it set up. Jenna's been a little neurotic lately but I think I can break free for awhile after practice today. I'm supposed to get refitted for a tux tomorrow, and I think she was wanting to just hang around the house today, so yeah, I should be able to hang out for a couple of hours."

Dean knew he had to look like an idiot, it was the only explanation as to why his face felt like it was cracking open. He was just about to tell Sammy how much he wanted to see him, his call waiting was triggered and he paused to see who it was. "Hey Sammy, I can't wait to see you, but I have another call. Make sure you get home as soon as you can today, alright?" he asked, hoping that would spur his little brother home faster. Clicking to his next call he had to wonder what was going on. "Jenna, what's going on, I just got off the phone with Sammy."

"_Dean, look I know I shouldn't say anything, but you have to do something. I only have a minute, he's on his way back, he's not eating Dean. I told him I'd hang around the house today and hoped he would go and see you, but you need to do something before he gets sick."_

Not knowing how to respond, he took the old standby, "Jenna, he's a picky eater right now. I know he eats like a bird, but it's ok, he'll eat some…"

"_I'm not an idiot Dean, I know he doesn't eat a lot. That's what I'm trying to tell you – he hasn't eaten __anything__ in two days!"_


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Hi everyone, I hope you all are having a wonderful Holiday season! For all those still reading, Thanks so much! I love knowing that people like my twisted imagination. ;)

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Dean had figured out how long it should take Sammy to finish practice, get to the Colonel's house, make sure that Jenna was safe and sound, then get back home; and according to his calculations, he still had twenty minutes to wait. Not a good thing considering the conversation he had with Celia still floating around in his head. _Dean, I'd love to tell you what I know, and by law you can actually force my hand, but this is something that I really think you and Sam need to deal with face to face. You're right though, he needs to eat, even if he's not hungry – find a way._ That conversation just wouldn't let him go, and it was driving him nuts. He already knew that being Sammy's legal guardian gave him automatic rights to medical information, he wasn't an idiot; but after the fiasco of not trusting his little brother a couple of days ago, he was seriously taking Celia's advice into consideration.

He heard the door open and was surprised to see Sammy walking through the door. "Hey, I wasn't expecting you for another twenty minutes. How was practice?" he asked, all the while wondering if his little brother could hear his heart pounding in his chest. 'Smooth Dean, real smooth; you've never asked about stuff like that before, and now you're just going to make nice?' he wondered what he was thinking putting Sammy on the spot like that.

Sam paused a moment then shook his head, "Coach let us out of practice early because one of the guys got caught up in a hurdle and somehow caused three others to trip over him. He told everyone to go home so there would still be a chance of keeping the school's liability down." He laughed remembering the horrified look on Coach's face when he saw what happened. "A train wreck in the making, he said."

Laughing with his brother, Dean could feel some of the tension leave his body and he started to wonder what he had been worried about. Knowing that a happy Sammy was a more open Sammy, he decided to dive right in. "Hey, you know Jenna's concerned about you right now; she says you're not eating." Seeing that Sammy was going to say something, he held up his hand "Look, I know how she gets, she panics at times when there really isn't a reason; but I want you to have dinner here with us before you go back and play superhero for the deb, alright?"

Looking at Dean, Sam couldn't place what exactly was wrong with the conversation, but he was sure that he had skipped over several pages of dialog. Not able to tell what was really going on, he quickly settled for the face value approach and nodded with a smile. "So, you guys like the new system?"

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Stephen stood outside Celia's office for what seemed like a lifetime and still didn't have the guts to walk inside; in fact he was pretty sure he'd rather face a howitzer than the woman behind that door. The fact that he was running out of time only seemed to make him want to stall longer, and it was getting more than a little ridiculous. It wasn't as if those rumors were true, right? Even so, who cares if her grandmother was a Haitian Voodoo Priestess; that didn't mean _Celia_ could turn him into a zombie or something, _right_? He knew that he was losing the battle of facing her, but there wasn't anything he could do – this was more nerve wracking than that time he and the guys were boxed in and were waiting to see if a bomb that was in front of them was really a dud – so not fun, no matter what the locals wanted to put on the brochure.

Opening the door was the only way she was going to be able to save her sanity, she'd been watching Stephen's shadow pace back and forth across her window for the last twenty minutes, and it was more than a little distracting. As she watched him continue, she then understood that she wasn't the only one distracted. Finally having enough of the shenanigans, she stepped in front of him and boldly asked, "So, you going to ask me to the ball or not?"

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Jenna couldn't believe her father, it wasn't as if she was really prying; more like curious. As soon as she had hit the front door, her daddy had taken Sam into his office and shut the door, then after ten minutes, Sam came back out as if nothing happened. It was driving her nuts! Something was going on, and she was going to find out what – she just needed to make sure she didn't get caught.

Ok, admittedly she had phone calls to make, as well as people coming over, but she really wanted to know what was so important that her own daddy would shut her out of it. Growling to herself, she walked over to the glass patio doors and watched as the moon looked like it was going to make its presence known and found herself wondering if Sam was looking out a window too.

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Sam watched as four pairs of eyes watched him eat his food. Ok, maybe eat was too strong of a word, it looked more like playing, but the thought of eating at all was just too much at the moment. Knowing that Dean was worried, and that Jenna had been a little snitch, he continued to move his food around until he had enough and looked at Dean. "What's going on Dean? You've been acting like… I don't know what, just weird ever since I got home. Is that it, you changed your mind and me getting here early messed things up for you?" he asked hoping that he hadn't guessed it; he was still trying to recover from the damn yard sale incident. He had been going out of his way to make sure he did everything right, and now it looked like that it wasn't a good enough effort.

Shocked, it took a moment for Dean to process exactly what Sammy meant. "What! No Sammy, that's not it. Look, something's going on with you, and you're not talking. When I talked to Celia today, she said…"

"You talked to Celia?" Sam asked cautiously, he had no idea how to take that little bit of information. He had to wonder just how much Dean knew, and if this was why his brothers were looking at him strangely.

"Yeah, I did Sammy. Now I know something's going on, but she seems to think that we need to sort it out ourselves, and I have to tell you, I'm running low on patience. I have no idea why you're not eating, but it has to stop, ok?" Dean saw the look on his brother's face and he couldn't help but wonder what was behind it.

Sam wasn't sure how to respond to that, or if he was even supposed to. He knew that his brother was worried, but he wasn't exactly sure what he was worried about, which really unnerved him. Standing there watching Dean and the others, he wasn't sure what to say, or even to think, because all that missing dialog from earlier was making more sense but still hadn't filled in all the blanks for him as to what Celia said. "So, all you want me to do is eat more, that's what this is all about?" he asked, hoping that it was that easy, but also knowing that things hardly ever were.

Dean suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off him; and by the sounds behind him he knew the others felt the same. He also knew that grilling his brother wasn't going to get him anywhere except a one way ticket to a migraine, and there was no way he was going to push his brother away, especially after seeing the progress that was already being made. No way he was going to risk sliding backwards for something that he knew his brother would share anyway in his own time; for whatever reason Sammy still saw himself as a burden, and he wasn't going enforce that way of thought. Looking over to his little brother he let out a deep breath, "I'm not going to push Sammy, when you're ready, you'll tell me - I get that. I have to know though, are you dying?"

Smiling, Sam couldn't believe Dean just asked him that, after all there were different degrees of dying, but he knew that his brother was getting worried about his silence. "Not today." He responded, not able to expand more without letting everything else out, and he just couldn't watch the expression on his brothers faces change against him. They knew as well as he did that the clock was ticking against him, unfortunately he knew that that very clock had its own timetable.

Not liking the answer, but nodding his understanding of it being so Sammy, Dean didn't pry. "I tell you what, you eat, take better care of yourself, and I'll let this drop for now. You and I both know that I can ask Celia and she has to tell me, but there is no way I want to have to do that, alright?" He saw Sammy nod in agreement, and noticed something else in his brother's eyes; a glimmer of the trust that Sammy used to have just for him.

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Joseph had been worried about how Sammy would take their concern for him, but seeing the kid looking at everyone, he suddenly realized that the worry was mutual. Smiling, he was just about to say something when his phone rang and the caller id showed that it was his girlfriend, and things had been a little stressed with her lately. Anytime they were together she would talk about spending even more time together… _alone_. The more she pushed him to _not_ spend time with the guys, the more pissed off he became, and that just didn't set well with him. He'd rather break off a good relationship and have his brothers in his life than have a really great relationship and not have anyone else. Answering, he could tell that she was more stressed than normal. Finding out that someone had broke into her apartment, he was almost out the door before he remembered that he hadn't told Sammy and the others what was going on. He shouldn't have been so surprised when all four of them were tossing him his keys, while giving him his jacket and telling him to call when he found out what was going on. He got to the rental car and shook his head, 'Nope, not going to give them up.'

Finding Darla finishing up her statement with the officers, Joseph was relived to see that she wasn't hurt and gave her a big hug before asking questions. After hearing that there had been a string of robberies in the area for the past couple of months, Joseph was feeling pretty confident that it was just random, but didn't want her anywhere near her apartment by herself. Digging out his phone he called his brothers and asked a huge favor.

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Terrance looked at the stack of papers on his desk and wondered how Sam had been able to keep so much of his big heart with him after all the abuse he had sustained in his lifetime. He couldn't help but like the kid, and after the conversation that they had earlier, he admired the boy as well. He had always suspected that everything that he did was towards the goal of making Dean and now his new brothers lives better, and now he had his proof sitting on his desk mocking him. He knew what the reaction would be when the time came to reveal what that particular stack of papers held, and he hoped he wasn't in the line of fire when everything was said and done. Dean really didn't have the same point of view about things that Sam did, and that was going to make a difference.

He knew that Jenna was miffed at knowing what the earlier meeting with the young man had been about, but there was no way he was going break Sam's confidence. It had been a surprise when he had heard Sam's addition to their agreement for him to be Jenna's bodyguard, but the more he thought about it, the more honored he felt that he had been included in the plan; even if he had been sworn to secrecy. Shaking his head, Terrance poured himself another drink and thought about the implications that Sam's deal would have on other people and he had to give the kid credit; he had thought it out thoroughly and precisely, not leaving any angle unexplored. It had definitely shocked the few people he had shown the proposal to and made himself wonder why the kid insisted on wasting his brainpower.

The call he had received from the school the other day had made him concerned at first, then after speaking with Sam made some sort of sick sense. Apparently one of the teachers had noticed the lack of homework being turned it, but had been told by the administrators to not worry about it. The teacher, being one of the better ones, hadn't wanted to leave it alone and had called him instead of Dean to give him a heads up about what was going on. Even though Sam had done well on his quizzes and test, the man felt Sam could do much better and was concerned that he was slacking off. He knew that he had offended the man when he laughed at the absurdity of Sam slacking off of anything he attempted, but it couldn't be helped, and he was able to smooth things over by promising to talk to the boy about it. After speaking to Sam about the call, the boy admitted that he hadn't been able to read much because of the headaches he'd get and most of the information for the test and quizzes had been from the lectures anyway. After promising to at least try to get through the book material a little bit at a time at night, Sam had an idea and immediately grabbed Jenna and they took off to the library leaving one very confused Colonel in their wake.

Thinking back to his daughter, he was actually starting to get concerned that she hadn't started badgering him about his and Sam's latest meeting. Being passive just wasn't in her nature, which made him wonder what it was that she was really up to. After all, a quiet Jenna was a plotting Jenna; and that could only mean trouble for him.

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AN: So, I hope you all liked it, let me know! 


	32. Chapter 32

Joseph had helped Darla pack a couple of her bags and took her to the apartment. It had been a quiet ride, and mostly was due to the fact that he was moving his girlfriend in with them. It wasn't as if she'd never spent the night, but that was just it, it was always for a night and not since Sammy had been with them; much to Darla's aggravation. Pulling in front of the building, he paused for a moment before looking at his passenger. "I know that things are a little nuts right now, but you need to understand that we still have a little brother at home, so we need to be careful about what we do, ok?"

Darla rolled her eyes before opening the car door, "Really Joseph, you make it sound like I molest you in the living room or something. Could we get through one day without the subject of Sammy coming up?" she said as she got out and made her way up the sidewalk.

'Yeah, this is going to be fun.' He thought as he grabbed the bags and followed her inside.

As soon as they walked inside they both were bombarded by questions and Darla made sure to draw the story out as much as possible for all the Musketeers to know how frightened she had been. She had seen Sammy as soon as she walked in and it had taken everything she had not to jump back in fright. Joseph had mentioned the scars, but she had thought he had been exaggerating, but now saw that they were actually worse then he had described. During her retelling of events, she knew that she had the guys' attention so didn't have a problem shooting subtle daggers at the boy; after all if it wasn't for his arrival she was sure Joseph would have asked her to marry him by now.

Sam knew that Joseph's girlfriend didn't like him, that much was obvious; he couldn't help but wonder why though. Thinking it over for a moment he remembered that he usually had that effect on people, so decided it would be better for everyone concerned if he just stayed out of the way for awhile. Seeing that everything was fine, he slipped into his room and looked at the new addition, the old stereo system from the living room was mounted in a bookshelf against the wall by the door. He couldn't believe that they had done that for him. Grabbing a pair of headphones from his bag, he slipped a cassette into the deck and laid back listening to where he had left off earlier with the walkman.

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Dean was happy to see Darla safe and sound, especially after finding out how scared she had been after finding everything she owned either stolen or trashed. He knew that she meant a lot to Joseph, which said that she meant a lot to the rest of them. Now though as he looked around he noticed that a certain little brother had disappeared. Looking around the room, he tried his room next and found his little brother lying on the floor with a pair of headphones on and a big smile on his face. Happy to see Sammy relaxed, he quietly exited and made his way into the kitchen for a beer; everything was going to be fine.

Stephen had been listening to Darla go on with her tale of woes, and he had actually felt sorry for her for a little while, but then she kept saying the same thing over and over again making him wonder if she was really that dense of a person. Although the arrangement was only supposed to be a couple of weeks max, he couldn't help but feel as if they all were missing something. Then again, it seemed as if their days had been more complicated lately; he couldn't wait to get a break.

Taylor had felt a weird vibe going on when Darla relayed her experience, and he couldn't help but wonder about it. Seeing that Sammy had gone to his room, he had been initially suspicious, but thought better than start asking questions now that it seemed he was starting to trust them more. Now he could only hope that whatever it was that had struck him odd would either make a full blown appearance or go away; until then, he was sure they all could make this work, it would be like having a sister around.

Joseph spent most of the conversation in the kitchen getting himself and Darla a drink, all the while hoping that the incident in the truck had been just because of a stressful situation and not something else. Sammy didn't need anymore stress, and if his girlfriend was going to end up putting a strain on the kid, then he'd just have to set her up in a motel room for awhile. This was his and the guys home, a place that they all have made into someplace safe and relaxing. Trying to get the disturbing thoughts out of head, he managed to give Darla her drink before his attention was drawn across the room to see little bro's door shut. 'Damn it, what's going on?' he thought, hoping that Darla hadn't already done something to chase Sammy off.

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Sam woke on the floor with the headphones that had long since stopped playing anything, still on his head. Shaking himself further awake, he couldn't believe that he had slept the whole night through. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly changed and went out for his morning run, cataloguing the information he had learned the previous day into useful segments that he could use in class. He was glad that he had thought about going to the library for help with his little reading problem, the older librarian had at first thought he was just being lazy, but after telling her about his eye she couldn't help but fall over herself to help. Apparently there was not only a decent selection of audio books that covered mostly bestsellers and classics, but also a program for the blind that had an extended library as well.

Laughing at the look on Jenna's face when he told her that they needed to go to the library, he couldn't help but wonder how someone so in tune to those in need, could not see the other ways to help people too. While he had been asking about a couple of classics that he needed to read for English Lit, Jenna was going over the music and asking his opinion on bands and songs, which he disappointed her greatly on since he had no idea what she was talking about. Dad had always driven in silence saying that the radio distracted from the goal, and anytime they were in a bar he had his mind on getting out of there alive, not worrying about what was on the jukebox that week. Now though he had to wonder about what he was missing. Jenna liked to drive with the radio on or a CD in the player, and some of the songs he thought he could get used to, but right now he needed to get through _Romeo and Juliet_ as well as _A Midsummer Nights Dream_ since their teacher had quite a fetish for Shakespeare.

Finishing his last mile, he was anxious to get in the shower and get ready, he could still catch up on the chapters he missed while asleep when he rode over to the Colonels, but he still needed to eat even if that meant leaving dirty dishes in the sick as proof to his promise. Rushing through his morning routine he made sure to leave a note on the fridge promising to check in later, and the dishes in the sink before taking off in the early morning dawn.

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The guys had sat down and was eating breakfast when they were joined by a very sleepy looking Darla. Before anyone could wish her a good morning she asked, "Did you know that Sammy snuck out last night?" Having heard that, four guys suddenly stopped what they were doing and asked what she meant. "I heard someone walking around the apartment, after I heard the door close I came in and there were dishes in the sink and a note on the fridge. Really, you should teach him to clean up after himself." She said testily as she reached for the orange juice.

"What note?" Dean asked concerned, hoping that he hadn't missed something important again.

Darla looked at him with disbelief. "Is that all you can say? I told you that he snuck out of here in the middle of the…"

Joseph placed his hand over her wrist effectively cutting her off, "Honey, it's important, what note?"

Looking at her boyfriend as if she didn't know him she motioned to the trash, then watched appalled as all the men practically dove for the item in question. "What are you doing? That is disgusting Joseph!" she demanded, wondering what had gotten into them all.

"Darla, Sammy didn't sneak out, he wakes up at four every morning, goes for a five mile run, comes back, takes a shower, fixes breakfast and if we're not up yet goes to the Colonel's to ride to school with Jenna." Joseph explained with more patience that he felt. He couldn't help but wonder what had made her jump on Sammy's case so quickly.

Dean read the note then reread it to make sure he didn't miss anything subtle in the short note. Feeling better, he looked at the guys then at Darla. "He said he had some breakfast here, any idea what he had?"

Thinking it was a joke, Darla continued to stare at them. When she realized they were serious, she answered, "It looked like a bunch of eggs with some vegetables, so I'm guessing an omelet. What is going on here?"

Feeling relieved that Sammy had kept his promise; Dean sat down with a big goofy smile on his face and allowed the others to explain the situation to her. He just wanted to sit there and enjoy the feeling that his little brother actually ate something and had bothered to let him know so he wouldn't worry so much; _yeah, like that was going to happen._

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Vic had pulled him off to the side and wished him luck earlier in the week, and even though Sam had no idea what he meant by that then, he did now. Between classes, practice, more last minute Jubilee details, more random midnight jaunts, and the occasional breakdown because Jenna missed her mom so much, Sam had found it extremely hard to keep his promise to the Colonel and study more. By the end of the week he was sure he looked more like something a farmer could post out in his field to help keep the crows away, than any glimpse of his former self. He couldn't help but think back on the other night in his room with longing, it seemed like forever instead of only a few days. Although he had kept his promise and checked in with Dean, he still missed his brothers and couldn't wait for tomorrow to be over and done with so maybe he could go home once in awhile.

"Hey Sam, look, I don't know how to bring this up so I'm just going to come out with it ok?" Vic asked, looking as uncomfortable as he sounded. "My sister does Cosmetology and works with some of the stage crews in LA and San Diego, and I was telling her your predicament tomorrow, and she thought she had a solution."

Sam looked at Vic puzzled, he had the tux already in his room at the Colonel's house, shoes, Jenna was planning on driving there and dressing at the reception hall, he'd already talked to the guys at the house about the security as well as Dean on the phone about which areas would be left open, he couldn't think of anything else that he needed to do.

"Dude, we all know that you're a great guy, so don't take this the wrong way, but dude your face is like mangled!" Vic said in his best 'surfer dude' imitation to try and take the sting out of his words. He liked Sam, and not just because he was putting up with Jenna. Sam was the type of person who would come through no matter what, and he wanted to protect his friend from any embarrassment.

Smiling, Sam looked at Vic, "No way! When did that happen?" he said shocked, causing his friend to laugh loudly in the hallway. "Seriously Vic, I'm only there for Jenna, what people think of my looks aren't that big of a deal."

Vic shook his head, "Sam, I know you believe that, but some of these people have a lot of money without a lot of heart. If anyone looks out of place, it could go very badly for Jenna this year. My sister has already agreed to help, just meet at my place tomorrow and we'll go see her."

Puzzled by what Vic thought his sister could do, Sam nodded in agreement; anything to help keep tomorrow going as smooth as possible.

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The guys had been trying to keep it down in the living room for most of the night, ever since they found out that Darla had a headache and had been lying down most of the day. No one could fault her for it, especially since she had been keeping the apartment cleaned up and them well fed for the whole week. The only thing missing was Sammy, and they knew that he'd be home for the weekend after the Jubilee since Jenna's grandparents had insisted on spending time with her alone, meaning no bodyguards at all. Although they were worried about Jenna, they were happy to have Sammy back for a few nights so they could all catch up; not like they wouldn't see him at the ball, but they all had found their Achilles Heel – Sammy.

Having set up the card table so they could still watch the movie, they quickly forgot to keep their voices down until they saw Darla walk slowly into the room. Joseph quickly got up to make sure she was alright before setting up a chair next to him. Dean had been on a winning streak, and Taylor started to tease him that Darla would bring it to an end and balance everything out, when a question was asked so casually that no one thought anything about it.

"So, where's Sammy this time?" Darla asked, looking toward the empty bedroom.

Smiling at his winning hand Dean quickly answered, "Over at the Colonel's again. He'll be back tomorrow night… Read 'em and weep suckers!"

Over the groaning of the other players, Darla looked concerned, "I'm sure everything's fine, but don't you think it's strange that he's there all the time, and spending the night too?"

"Nah," Taylor said, distracted by his turn as dealer, "he's just working, when things cool off, he'll be back here and everything with get back to normal."

A round of laugher broke out at Taylor's statement since no one had been able to figure out yet what normal really meant when talking about little bro. Their laughter turned to chokes when they heard her next statement.

"Oh well I'm sure you all know what you're doing. I just hope we don't hear the pitter patter of little feet in about nine months."

Dean wasn't sure what he was more shocked about, the idea that Sammy and Jenna were playing house and would producing a little version of themselves to run around the house, or the idea that she thought she would still be there in nine months to see it. Before he had fully pulled his thoughts together, Joseph had turned to her, "Darla, Sammy's not like that, he's a good kid. You've been dissing him all week, and most of the time he's not even here. Now knock it off, or find somewhere else to stay."

The silence in the room was palatable, and everyone sat there and stared at each other for a moment. Finally Darla stood up and went back into the bedroom, not once looking back.

Letting out a sigh, Joseph was about to apologize when he heard a crash in the bedroom. Jumping up from the table, they ran into his room to see Darla throw another shoe at the mirror. Not able to grasp what he was seeing, Joseph stood there dumbfounded until she started yelling, then everything fell into place and all he could see was red.

"You dumb bastard! The kid isn't even yours, and all you ever talk about is how great he is. If he's so great, where is he half the time? You're so concerned with him you ignore everything and everyone else around you. You don't believe me…why haven't you popped the question? You hinted towards it months ago, and now there's nothing. I have to make you feel bad just to spend time with me, _alone_, and all because of some defective, lowlife kid who probably sold himself for a cheeseburger has come arou…"

Joseph had never hit a woman in his life, even when his sister was hysterical and hitting him with everything she had, he restrained himself, but now he was so close to it he was sure that if he touched her, he'd kill her, but he couldn't allow her to keep going like she was. Before he knew it, something was pinning him against the wall and he heard yelling before something slammed shut. It took several moments to come back to the present and he saw that Stephen had wrapped himself around Dean to try to calm him down, and that Taylor had hold of him. Not fully understanding what had happened, he could only mutter his thanks before allowing himself to slide down the wall.

Dean had heard every vile thing that Darla had spewed out about his little brother, and he was both grateful and angry that Stephen had stopped him from doing what came naturally; protect Sammy, no matter what. Now though, he saw another brother hurting. The all knew that if she had managed to break completely through the mirror, she would have found a ring box with a two carat diamond solitaire that he had picked up, waiting for the Jubilee to ask her the question that he'd been silently asking since they met; _Darla, will you marry me?_ He knew Joseph was heartbroken, and he couldn't blame him, on the surface Darla seemed like his perfect match.

"I'm glad I found out now instead of later." Joseph said quietly as he looked around the room. "I'm not giving my brothers up, especially Sammy. We're stuck with each other, right?"

Without hesitation the agreement came loud and clear, "HELL YEAH!"

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AN: Ok... soooooo, whatcha thinkin'???? 


	33. Chapter 33

AN: Ok... head's up, you will want to burn me at the stake by the end of the chapter... be warned, the wood is still wet here, so nyuh!

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Dean had overslept, and that was something that he just didn't allow himself to do anymore; he usually had too much waiting for him. So when he stumbled into the kitchen he wasn't surprised to see the rest of the guys looking as trashed as he felt. They all knew that they needed to get a move on, they had all promised Amber and Heather that they would do some of the landscaping this morning to offset the rent increase of Sammy's room, and Dean was actually surprised that Amber wasn't up there kicking their collective butts in gear.

Grabbing the coffee pot, Taylor reached over and poured a cup for Dean while refilling his own. Sitting down he looked over at Joseph and knew not to ask, he just wanted to be left alone for awhile. Wishing that Sammy was there to help with breakfast, he was surprised to see a familiar face walk in the kitchen. "Sammy!"

Sam had known that today was going to be a busy and rushed day, but he had to break away for awhile. Jenna had been up all night worrying about the benefit, and had agreed to get some sleep only with the agreement that she would go with him over to Vic's later. Knowing that he had a few hours to kill, he rushed home hopefully in time for his surprise. Seeing the surprise in place but no brothers, he quickly made his way upstairs and into the apartment where Taylor enthusiastically announced his arrival. Before he could even say 'Hi' he was wrapped up in hugs and pushed into the kitchen.

"So kiddo, what are you doing here? I thought Jenna would have you running around all over the place making sure everything was just right for this evening." Stephen said, handing bottled water over to their little bro.

Nodding, Sam looked around happy to see his brothers but knowing that something had happened. "We did all that late last night and early this morning. I never knew that one room could hold so much and still look empty." He said in awe, remembering the tables, and screens, along with the balloons, streamers, and gift bags. He got nauseous just thinking about it.

As the others laughed and joked, they were surprised by a knock on the door, and then watched as Amber came inside. "Sam, thank you so much for the crew out there, they're wonderful. Are you sure they're just high school students?" she asked, truly amazed that they were doing such a wonderful job.

"I'm sure Amber, thanks for giving them a chance, they've been working hard all year to start their own business, and with your recommendation they should do pretty well." He said, happy that things were working out for everyone. "That reminds me, I need to go check on them. I promised I wouldn't throw them to the wolves just yet."

Amber laughed as she watched Sam head out the door and then turned back to the guys. "Well, it looks like you don't have to worry about the landscaping, Sam arranged everything." She said then sighed when they looked puzzled. "He came by last night to pitch the idea to me, when he promised anything his friends messed up, he'd make right I couldn't refuse. Ok… I couldn't refuse him anything anyway, but don't tell him that."

A cold feeling spread through Dean and he just prayed he was wrong. "When did he come by Amber?"

She knew she should have kept her mouth shut; now she had to answer and it was going to hurt a lot of people. "When Darla was showing her true colors. I'm sorry Joseph, you deserve better than her, you really do." She was about to leave when she turned back around. "You know, I would have been crushed if someone had said that about me, but Sam's only worry was about how you were, but thought you wouldn't want to see him."

The guys could only sit there stunned as her words penetrated their brains. Not only had he heard what had been shouted for all to hear, but he really thought they wouldn't want to see him. As they all stood, ready to chase after him, the door opened again and Sammy stood there looking at them. "Uh, were you guys leaving? I can stick around for a little while if you need me to or…"

"Sammy, sit down." Dean said, trying really hard not to sound like John, but the worry about what they had just found out made his voice deepen to the point that it didn't sound like a request. "Sammy, were you here last night?"

Hearing the question didn't alleviate his fears any, in fact it intensified them. Not sure what he had done to chase Darla off, he was even less sure what he could do to make things right. Nodding, he looked over to Joseph, "I'm sorry, I know I'm the last person you want to see right now."

"Whoa, Sammy, look I'd rather have you here with us than anything or anyone else in the world. I just wish that you had come up and let us know that you were here." Joseph watched the gambit of emotions run across Sammy's face. Understanding the apprehension, he couldn't help but wonder if Sammy would have ever told them of his late night visit, leaving that for another discussion he was going to continue with his questions when little bro interrupted his train of thought.

"You need to go after her." Sam said quietly. He had only meant to stop in for a little while, maybe have breakfast with his brothers and then leave on a happy note to pull him through the rest of the day. Now he was having to convince Joseph that he needed to get his girlfriend back otherwise he wasn't going to feel like doing much today; no matter what it is he's supposed to do.

Joseph couldn't believe what he was hearing, and by the looks on the others faces he knew they were in the same quandary. "No Sammy, there's no way I'm going to talk to someone who thinks that about you. Not going to happen little brother."

When the voices of agreement echoed in the apartment, Sammy didn't know what to do; he couldn't let it stay that way. "Joseph, look I appreciate it, but you don't know me. None of you do, and if you knew half the things… look, go find her and take her back. Just do me that favor, please. I won't watch you throw someone you love away just for me."

Dean watched his little brother get up and head towards his room, not fully understanding what he just heard, he called out, "What do you mean Sammy, 'if we knew half the things', what do you think you did that could be so bad."

Sam paused at his door before turning around and faced his brothers, hoping that they wouldn't push any farther. "Dean, I'm not perfect, and I'm not a Saint, or pure, or whatever it is that you have in your head about me. I'm who I am and did what I had to and unfortunately it probably doesn't meet up with certain people's exacting standards. So when someone like Darla is screaming that I sold myself for a damn cheeseburger, the only thing about that that upsets me is that it upsets you. So Joseph, find her, take her back, get married and have two point five kids, because quite honestly it'll be something that I'll never, in all good conscience, be able to do."

The sound of Sam's cell phone broke through the shocked silence, and it took him a moment to remember that he needed to answer it. "Hey Jenna… no, wait… Jenna listen… stay there!... no, I know so calm down I'm leaving right now… yeah, ok." Getting off the phone with Jenna combined with what he had just said made Sam wish he could find a rock and stay under for the rest of whatever life he might have. Instead he needed to find something for his headache and get back to the Colonel's before Jenna decided to do something stupid like go driving around by herself. He was in his room looking for the bottle of pain reliever he had stashed when he heard Dean at his door.

"Sammy" he said quietly, painfully, as if he couldn't quite breathe around the words.

Pausing in his search, Sam didn't even turn around, "Dean, don't… just leave it alone. I need to get out of here, and any conversation that we start right now would take a lot longer than what you or I really want to spend on it. So let's just chalk this up to 'something else we can hash out later', alright?"

Dean had no idea who this person was standing in front of him, but he knew that it wasn't his Sammy. His little brother went through life with his heart on his sleeve, and his eyes still wide open with possibilities, this imposter was closed off and almost broken and he had no idea what to think about that. "No matter what you've done Sammy, your still my little brother and I love you. Don't think that will change just because of some stupid choices, 'cause it won't. Got it?"

"Got it." Sam said glancing at his big brother, he could tell Dean meant it. He could only hope that his brother still meant it after he found out everything that he'd done.

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Jenna knew that the ball was receiving guests, but she was stuck upstairs in the room still trying to get her gown fixed after having it split in a closed door; how she had managed that she still wasn't certain, she only knew that she hated to be late fashionable or otherwise. Sitting on a small ottoman while wearing a robe and watching the hotel's seamstress work her magic she suddenly realized that Sam had barely said a word to her since they left the house and went to Vic's. Looking over at him she watched as he stared out the window and watched the city life zip around as if had more important things to do this evening than to be looked upon. She knew that she had been taking up most of his time, who was she kidding; all of his time, at she appreciated everything he had been doing. If it wasn't for Sam she would have been spending most of her time getting permission than actually doing anything. Not that it mattered at the moment since she was stuck in her room waiting for a dress to be finished before she could even entertain the idea of hobnobbing with some very fat checkbooks who's criteria for a donation could be as finicky as the wind. Seeing that her dress was done, she ran into the bedroom to get dressed, leaving Sam in the same spot that he had been in for the last half hour.

The Musketeers had arrived with their dates via limo half an hour ago and after quickly checking in with the Colonel, they all settled into a routine of mingling with people they didn't know all the while waiting for Jenna and Sammy to make their appearance. "Jenna had trouble with her dress." Dean casually mentioned as he handed Katie a flute of champagne. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be able to come to something like this with the prettiest woman on base. Not being one of those guys who dreamed of settling down, he had been as surprised as his brothers that he was starting to fall for their own little intel liaison, he couldn't help it she always kept him on his toes.

Celia watched Dean and smiled at the attention that he was lavishing on Katie, she knew that Katie wasn't like Darla in any sense of the word and would make Dean very happy if he let her. Listening to the guest announcements, she paused when a name was read as one of the escorts to an invited guest. Brady Maxwell had been purposefully blacklisted from the Jubilee after Jillian's death because of the vicious rumors that he had started to damage her reputation and in effect try to destroy the foundation. She knew that if Jenna saw him, it would not be a happy evening for anyone. Explaining the situation to Stephen, she allowed him to quickly relay the information to both Dean and Taylor, while she took the opportunity to talk to the Colonel about the unexpected guest.

Terrance was livid; there was no way he was going to allow the bastard to upset his daughter on the one night that she truly feels closest to her mother. Making his way towards the interloper, he was caught unawares by the announcement of his daughter's arrival.

"**Miss. Jenna Erikson escorted this evening by Mister Samuel Winchester**."

As the crowd had quieted upon her arrival, many of the patrons who had known her since she was a small child marveled at how much she looked like Jillian, and 'wouldn't her mother have been pleased by her choice of escort'.

Sam was taking his lead from Jenna, but she seemed to be stuck at the top of the stairs. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "Picture them naked, I hear that works wonders."

The absurdity of the situation combined with Sam's comment made Jenna smile and lightly laugh as they started their way down the stairs to join her mother's friends and colleagues. As she held Sam's arm tighter, she was suddenly happy that it was Sam with her tonight, her own night in shining armor who would see her through this no matter the outcome. Looking up at him, she smiled brightly letting him know everything she was feeling at that very moment. She was not disappointed when he smiled at her, letting her know that to him, she was the only one there.

Dean was towards the back of the reception hall when he and the others heard Jenna and Sam's names being called out, and like something out of a fairy tale, he watched his little brother help captivate the room. Jenna's red hair had been swept up into a Grecian knot and allowed to curl down her shoulder resting on the off shoulder straps of her gown allowing her natural beauty to stun those around her. Complimenting her, Sammy's hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, showing off his sharp features. His tux that had to be refitted twice fit perfectly, letting certain ladies in the crown know of the slight yet powerful build the young man had. Together, they were a match to be envied.

"Oh my God Dean, Sam looks like he should be on the cover of GQ." Taylor's girlfriend Mandy said in awe, leaving Dean to agree wholeheartedly.

As the ball moved into full swing, Jenna was seen talking to each guest about the benefits of the foundation and what was in store for the next year, giving Sam the time he needed to talk to his brothers while he went for something to drink for Jenna. "Hey guys, what do you think? She worked really hard on this and is hoping for record donations this year." Sam said as he met up with his brothers, he had seen the ladies they had brought as dates and couldn't help but approve. Celia had been more than patient with him and he'd seen that extended to everyone she met, Katie was nice and fun to be around, and Mandy was just really sweet even if she wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.

"Man, she really did outdo herself this year, how was she able to pull it off?" Joseph asked, truly amazed that one person could arrange something so outlandish.

"Forget that man," Dean said while taking his little brother's face in his hands, "what the hell dude?" he asked as he moved Sammy's head back and forth looking at the smooth cheeks.

Blushing, Sam smiled, "Vic's sister Cindy works with special effects people and she whipped up a couple of second skins, cool huh?" he asked, glad that the hours of sitting there actually paid off; he didn't want anything to ruin the night for Jenna.

Dean smiled at his brother happy to see a glimmer of Sammy back. Before he had a chance to comment, he saw Celia tense up. Looking over he saw the problem, Brady Maxwell was talking to Jenna and it looked like things weren't going smoothly. "Damn it!" he growled under his breath and asked Katie to hold his drink.

"Stay here Dean, I've got it." Sam said calmly, giving the impression that everything was alright, but to those who knew him they noticed how tense he was and had to wonder what that was about.

Sam was making his way across the dance floor with one goal in mind; get Jenna away from the creep. By the time he made it to her side, he noticed that Jenna was doing her absolute best not to make a scene even though the man in front of her was instigating one. "Jenna, I believe this dance is mine." Sam said calmly, knowing that this waltz was her mother's favorite and she usually partnered with the Colonel, he was positive that under the circumstances he would be forgiven.

Looking up, Jenna was momentarily shocked by the pure hatred Sam had in his eyes for the treacherous leech that was standing in front of her. Confused, but not wanting to make a bigger spectacle than she had already she smiled as if she had forgotten the time, "Oh course Sam, how silly of me. Shall we?"

As Sam swept her across the dance floor, he watched as she came close to crying. Holding her closely he whispered that everything would be alright and he would never let Brady near her again, he swore it on his life; and she believed him.

Watching the young couple dance smoothly, many of the older patrons smiled in approval that there were still people who still knew how to dance. As the Musketeers watched their little brother sweep his girl off her feet, they were aware of a present threat that continued to look at him with increased fascination sending warning signals throughout their bodies. Not speaking, all four men took to the dance floor, three with their dates, and another with a young woman plucked on the fly and they joined the festivities making it known to the unwelcome that there were certain things not allowed; leering at little bro just being on the top of the list.

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The evening had finally started to wind down, the papers had enough pictures and interviews to make the headlines in the society pages, the guests were happy both for the wonderful night as well as the donations either given out of a golden heart or for the tax write off, leaving the remaining members of the ball to continue to dance as the orchestra was changed to the hotel's sound system. It didn't take long after the last guest to leave for the high heels to be tossed to the side and the ties to come off, giving the occupants of the room a very worn out but content look.

Sam knew that the Jubilee was a success, and that the only person to take credit for it was Jenna. He couldn't help but be amazed at how much she accomplishes and never asking it for herself. Holding her close, he could smell her shampoo and thought about the first time she held him; he could smell it then too. Feeling like a girl, he didn't want the night to end, because here everything was ok, but out there it would go back the way it was and he wasn't ready for that.

Celia knew that Jenna had fallen hard for Sam, and more than likely the feeling was mutual, which made it so much harder to watch them get closer. She knew that Sam wouldn't let things progress to the level that Jenna wanted to take it, and her heart broke for them both. Looking up at Stephen, she knew he was wondering what she was concerned about, but she smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, determined to let the fairy tale continue as long as possible.

Dean watched Katie watch him and he just couldn't get over how lucky he was. He had always known that she was great, but he had never considered her more than someone to casually go out with. Now though, if she could accept Sammy as well as the others, then she might be someone to consider being more. _He wasn't buying a dog though; white picket fence… maybe, but no dog! _

Terrance knew that not everything had gone as planned, but he was glad of his decision to have Sam and the Musketeers be security, otherwise he knew that the outcome wouldn't have been as rosy. Every year he missed his wife more, and every year Jenna reminded him of her. It was a paradox that he doubted he'd ever get used to, but wouldn't change. Seeing the cleaning crew was ready to get busy, it was his job to get everyone out and into their appropriate rides so everyone could get home without a police escort.

Jenna knew that she had only a few minutes before Sam went into the limo with the Musketeers, but she had to get something off her chest before going to her grandparents where she'd be on lock down until Monday morning at school. Watching Dean give them a sly look, she stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to Sam. Seeing him smile and laugh gave her the courage to do what she had wanted to do since they first met. "Sam, I know that we haven't known each other very long, but we get along great and you're wonderful to be around. I don't think of you as my protector, or only my friend, I think of you so much more. I'm just hoping that you feel the same way, and that maybe one day when things aren't revolving around Jubilee's and stalker's maybe we can act on it."

Sam stood there not knowing what to say. He'd never had a girl talk to him like that before, and he really had no idea what to do with it. If he had the guts to look, he would have seen four heads peeking out of the limo to watch what was going on, but he couldn't look away from Jenna. To him she was perfect and everything that anyone would want to share their life with. That's what made it so much harder. "Jenna, you're special to me too, and I wish that we didn't have to worry about stalkers, but we do. I would love for it to be otherwise, but there can never be anything besides friendship between us, no matter how much either one of us wants it, I'm sorry."

She didn't ask why, she just walked off and joined her father to disappear into the shadows. Knowing that he had just broke her heart; he quietly got into the limo and shut the door, trying to ignore the worried glances that were being tossed his way.

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AN: asbestos underwear... check, fire extinguisher... check! Ok... so, how'd you like it? 


	34. Chapter 34

AN: Ok, this is a long one, but it has a lot of stuff going on and really needed to be done. Just know that I'm already working on the next chapter.

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Terrance had finished reading the paper and was glad that Jenna didn't read the damn thing. The society pages had done a big write up on the Jubilee alright, unfortunately they had barely mentioned what they had been doing there in the first place, putting in it's place the headline: **Young Deb Plays Cinderella at Deceased Mother's Fundraiser**

He knew who he could blame the media circus on, Brady Maxwell. That menace had been trying to ruin the foundation before Jillian's death, and there was no way he was going to allow his daughter's dreams to be crushed if he could help it. Thinking back on the previous night, he couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong.

"_I thought he loved me Daddy." Jenna cried, letting her daddy hold her like he had when she was smaller._

_Terrance was just as puzzled as his daughter, he knew what he saw and Sam was head over heals for his little girl. "He does baby, he does. I don't know what happened, but I know that he had a good reason."_

Even now as he looked at the pictures of Sam and Jenna dancing, he knew he was right. He had no idea what was going on, but he would get to the bottom of it. Right after he found a way to destroy Brady Maxwell and make him pay for the pain he brought to his family.

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The guys knew that Sammy was feeling pretty low, but nothing cheered him up. They knew that he hadn't gotten up for his morning run, and trying to get him to eat even a late breakfast had been a disaster. Finally Dean had a brainstorm and told the guys to keep an eye on Sammy before he ran out the door, coming back in less than ten minutes empty handed but with a huge smile on his face. Not understanding what was going on, they thought he had truly lost his mind until Amber and Heather knocked on the door asking for Sammy.

It had taken two tries and a threat of physically removing him from his room before the door opened and Sam walked out not looking at anyone. When Amber saw him, she nudged Heather making the oldest sister do the talking for them. "Sam, we're hoping you can do us a favor. You already know that our cat had her kittens, but we haven't been able to find homes for all of them, ok for this one. Apparently no one wants a Himalayan long haired kitten that still likes to climb – a lot! Amber thought of you, and we were hoping you could take him, if it's ok with the guys here."

Heather looked around when Sam hadn't said anything, and in fact hadn't looked at anyone since he walked out; everyone was as puzzled as she was. They were just about to chalk it up to another failure for the day when he walked forward and took the kitten out of her hands and turned back to go into his room pausing long enough to tell them thank you before shutting out the world with his door.

Looking at Dean, Amber looked like she was going to cry. "You're right, he's so sad. Will he be alright?" she asked, hoping that the answer would be a simple yes, instead she knew what the silence meant; they didn't know either.

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The week passed quickly with Sam still acting as much as Jenna's protector as she would allow, but nothing to do with friendship. Several people commented on it, but Sam had ignored them, this was what he caused so he'd deal with it. His main concern was Jenna and if the Colonel was right, they were getting closer to her stalker.

Four days after the Jubilee a package was sent to the Foundation addressed to Jenna and it was the biggest break they had since the whole ordeal began. Although the contents themselves were innocent enough, they had been able to loosely connect some of the packing of the box to the packing of some of the other items sent, but this time he made a mistake leaving a partial fingerprint, this time they had a name and now they just needed to link him as Jenna's stalker before he found out what they knew.

The Musketeers had been working with the Foundation as well as local authorities to find a link of any kind to prove motive, but so far they couldn't find anything which left the case that they were building empty. The puzzle got more complex when Katie had found a loose reference to Maxwell during a sweep of arms dealers. Since no one had heard about it before she was asked to keep looking, which she had finally found in a reference made from a friend of a friend of an acquaintance of the arms dealer Luca Martine. If they could place Maxwell with Martine they knew they would have a stronger case and could get him off the streets for a lot longer than the new stalker laws allowed.

Now it was Saturday and looking at the clock, Terrence knew he was going to be in trouble. After spending the evenings at home so she could send Sam away, Jenna had decided to spend the weekend with her grandparents making him promise to have lunch with her today since it was her birthday. Groaning, he knew that time was against him at the moment. The had pulled photos, audio, video, and even some tourist photos confiscated during an unrelated bust trying to find anything to link these two together. Everyone knew there was a connection; they just hadn't found it yet.

Looking on the bulletin board he asked for the rundown again on Maxwell's other activities. Clearing his throat, Kevin Woods began. "As everyone knows Maxwell is the only adopted child of Claude and Laura Maxwell leaving him with a sizeable estate when they passed six years ago. He's a forty three year old male, never married, has no siblings, but has a lot of nieces and nephews." At everyone's puzzled looks he shrugged, "every year around Christmas time he throws a big party and invites some of the more disadvantaged kids for a party and some presents, a couple are even allowed to spend the night so they can go sledding. No complaints have ever been filed and the community considers him a saint."

Dean couldn't get rid of a suspicion in the back of his brain and he just couldn't seem to let it go. Looking at the Colonel he asked, "He had something to do with the Foundation didn't he?"

Looking at Dean, the Colonel nodded. "He was a large contributor for several years, that's how he was able to ruin Jillian's reputation with a lot of people." Knowing that not everyone had been privy to the story he elaborated. "After being refused acceptance to the Foundation's board, he went public that he was HIV positive and that my wife and he were having an affair. He came very close to accusing Jillian of giving it to him, but knew that there are ways of proving his claim false so he let the innuendo hang there. It almost destroyed everything she worked so hard for. To find out that now he has his eyes set on my daughter is unthinkable."

The others in the room nodded and continued piecing together what information they had. They had photos of Maxwell as well as Martine on the wall with links to items about them, just not anything to tie them in the same place at the same time. It wasn't until a light knock sounded that everyone looked up and noticed it was almost lunch time and Sammy was standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt sir, I wanted to let you know that Ed and Josh are shadowing Jenna and her grandparents."

Smiling, Terrence knew that Sam never rested when it came to his job. Nodding he motioned him in while he went over the latest calls made and received on Maxwell's phone. "Damn it, doesn't he use his phone to order anything but Chinese?" he groused getting more frustrated by the moment. "We have less than twenty hours left to find something useful otherwise we have to drop the phone surveillance. Apparently the Judge this morning didn't like the idea of being woke up before tee time.

The Musketeers laughed because they knew exactly who the Colonel was talking about and they had to agree with how frustrating it was. So focused on the task at hand they forgot about their Sammy being in the room.

"That's Brady Maxwell right?" Sammy asked, looking at the pictures on the wall, "Who's the other guy?"

Surprised by the question but not seeing the harm in answering, Katie replied, "Luca Martine, he's an arms dealer that may have ties to Maxwell who we're trying to prove are behind the threats on Jenna's life."

Paling, Sammy looked at Katie and choked out, "What? You have to stop him."

"That's what we're trying to do Sammy. I know it doesn't look like much but if we can link Maxwell with Martine, then we have a strong case and can look deeper, adding stalking to the charges as well." Dean said patiently, knowing that it had to have been a shock to see the very person he was trying to keep Jenna from within arms reach.

"Would pictures work?" Sam asked, his mind racing with the new information he found.

Kevin was to his wits end, and Winchester's brother wasn't helping. "YES! Now you're getting it. A picture, a letter, at this point… ANYTHING!"

Dean and the others were about to jump in when Sam nodded and looked straight at Dean, "You know I love you right? I'll call you later."

Not certain what had just happened, the room had seemed to freeze and everyone was lost in trying to find some meaning out of what had just happened until a tech came into the room, "Sir, Maxwell got a call, you might want to hear it."

Wondering what was going on, the tech routed the recording to the speakerphone in their current location and listened.

"_Yeah"_

"_We have unfinished business."_

"_I was wondering if you would call; tell me does your…"_

"_I'll be at the fountain in Pershing Square Los Angeles at four thirty, if you're a no show or you double cross me in any way, your boss will be the next call I make."_

Terrance felt his blood freeze in his veins and by the look of the Musketeers he knew they were experiencing the same thing. "When did this come in?"

The tech new that something major just happened, but he had no idea what. "Right before I brought it to your attention, sir."

Dean felt as if he'd just been kicked in the gut, and he hated that feeling especially when it had to do with his little brother. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, looking around the room. He was just about to go after Sammy to find out what was going on when Stephen spoke up.

"He gave us enough time to get in place and set up surveillance, sir." Stephen said, knowing that he had no idea what little bro was up to, or how he knew Maxwell, but if they wanted answers they needed to be at Pershing Square _before_ them.

Terrance looked around the room and knew that this was going to be hard; he felt the need to protect Sam too. However, Sam seemed to know something about this guy that they didn't and for whatever reason, had decided to lead them to it instead of spoon feeding them, so he was going to make sure they were there. "Alright, we'll be there. Make sure we have jurisdiction, tell the locals that we're covering and informant if you have to, but I'm not going to leave Sam flapping in the breeze. Dean, I know you're going, but I want you to be a little further back. You can still see and hear, but I don't want you anywhere near the site when this meeting happens, understood?"

Dean knew that he was getting off lucky, but he still felt as if he'd been cut off at the knees. It was his little brother out there, and he wanted to make sure that nothing happened to him when he pulled this idiotic stunt. Sighing, he nodded, he'd stay back with the sight and sound team, but if things went badly there was no way he'd _stay_ there.

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Sam hadn't even fully cleared the building when his call went through and he talked to one of the people that he had hoped and prayed he'd never see again in his life. Now he was getting everything together to make sure this meeting with Maxwell went the way _he_ wanted. Having less than four hours to get into LA and set up the staging, would have made Sam happy for the leeway, but he couldn't seem to breathe around the lump in his chest. After today he would have his answer, he just wished that he hadn't blown it and been able to store up more memories with his brothers.

Stopping in front of Vic's home he waited for his friend to step outside and join him by the car. He hadn't told Vic what was going on, just that he needed to get to LA and asked for a ride as well as a few other items that he'd return as soon as he could. Although curious, Vic had no problem helping out, and had actually sounded excited about it. As they connected with the highway, Vic looked over concerned.

"Hey dude, you ok? You look like someone just kicked your dog."

Trying not to worry his friend, Sam nodded. "I'm fine Vic, thanks for the ride, but I have to ask that…"

"As soon as we get there I get lost. No problem, I was actually trying to find an excuse to drive into the city of angels anyway. There's a sale at one of the boutiques that Cin and I like, but since dad still doesn't like the idea of having a homosexual for a son, and he has no idea of Cin's preferences, so it's not like I could let him know, right?" Vic said as if it didn't really bother him.

Looking over, Sam's curiosity got the better of him. "Your dad doesn't like you?"

"What? No! No, he just thinks a phase I'm going through, so he tries to curb it a little. No, my dad is great and if you promise not to tell anyone else I'll let you in on a secret." Vic said, looking at Sam as if he really expected him to pinky swear, satisfied with a nod he continued, "Dad's my best friend. Even Cin comes in second… really! If it wasn't for him I would have fallen apart a long time ago, in fact he's the one who brought the subject up, and if you don't think _that_ was awkward…" he said laughing at the memory, but giving Sam a glimpse of what life could be like with the right people.

Leaning back, Sam closed his eyes and thought about Dean and what things could have been like in another place, another time. Before he knew it, they were at Pershing Square and Vic was helping him unload.

"Ok, now you know that all you have to do is call me, and I'll pick you up, right?" Vic asked, hoping that his friend would take him up on his offer.

"Yeah, I know, thanks. I don't know how long I'll be though, so you can go ahead and go home after you're done shopping." Sam said, then watched as his one and only friend drove away.

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Dean was pacing back and forth across the room they had set up to watch over the square. The had multidirectional mics set up along with video in three different directions that they could track movement if necessary, but it wasn't helping his unease any. He had been trying to call Sammy all day, but had been switched straight to voice mail, making each attempt pile up heavier than the last. They had less than ten minutes and he was already about to bust a gut, how was he supposed to stay there and watch?

"Winchester, sit your ass down!" the Colonel ordered having watched Dean pace the entire suite for the last half hour. He was just as anxious to get this over with, but he also knew that whatever Sam had planned, it wasn't something that he would have just waited until the last minute to show up. No, Sam had already been there and set up his part, they were just observers, and if they could bide their time, he had a feeling that they would get more than what they initially thought.

Stephen had set up post by the window, he knew that Dean wanted to be there, but as antsy as he was, there was no way they'd be able to keep him calm with a front row seat; not that he had any delusions that they'd be able to keep him in the back. Joseph was close to the door, he had already announced that at the first sign of little bro was in over his head he was gone, and Taylor had set up shop with his computers and surveillance equipment giving everyone the impression that he was happy where he was, to have true front row center of the action.

"Ok, Maxwell is at the fountain, looks like our boy is early. No sign of Sammy though." Taylor said as he looked at the clock, noting they had two minutes to go.

The room suddenly got quiet as the clock at the square chimed the half hour, and then it took everyone to hold Dean in place when they got their first look at Sammy. "What the…?"

Walking across the square towards the fountain was a young man around six foot tall, dark hair whipping around his face, dressed in black from the designer boots all the way up to the Armani overcoat that billowed behind him as the wind rushed through the plaza. As they all watched the man approach Maxwell, the casual observer would have thought it was a chance meeting, just two men caught up in a moment watching the fountain spray up and out. To the casual observer, the younger of the two pulling out a pack of cigarettes and smoking one was a shame, but nothing out of the ordinary. Today the plaza was full of anything other than the casual observers.

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Sam hated having to stage a scene in order to get what he wanted, but then again beggars couldn't be choosers. He had picked the location because he knew that even though it was a Saturday, there were still plenty of business people who would end the day at five, which gave him plenty of time to get this over and done with and get on with trying to start a new life; after the bridges he was about to burn, he had no illusions that he could just walk back into the life he had.

Walking across the Plaza he knew that he looked like a stereotype, but for the upper hand he needed he welcomed it. Seeing Maxwell at the fountain gave him a slight thrill, leave it to the old 'do what I say or I'll tell' threat to get him to show. Predictable, which worked like he expected, and how he liked it. He knew his brothers were close which would normally give him comfort, but today was not a day that he wanted them to know just how far down in murky depths he had fallen before they met him. There was nothing to do about it now, he set up this meeting and he would see it through; anything to keep this creep away from Jenna.

Lighting his cigarette had been a necessary evil, and one that he couldn't wait to see how it paid off. First things first though, and the first thing was to make sure Maxwell had done what he was told. "So, where is it?" he asked coldly, he didn't want this person to know just how much he hated standing next to him.

"What, no pleasantries Sammy? I'm disappointed. Does your new benefactor know how rude you have become? I remember a much sweeter boy." Brady Maxwell said as he reached over to brush a lock of hair away from Sam's face, only to be stopped by one of Sam's hands grabbing his wrist tightly.

"You can be whatever you want, as long as you brought what is mine." Sam growled looking at the older man with pure hate and loathing, leaving no doubt that Sam would rather watch the man die a slow painful death than be there.

Maxwell cleared his throat and withdrew his hand. "Of course, however you know we could…"

Sam looked at the man coolly before he smiled, not a heartwarming smile, but a cold calculated grin that made Maxwell realize that he was in over his head, "We could do a lot of things, none of which you would enjoy. Now, my time is much more in demand that it used to be, so lets get this done, or should I skip this 'pleasantry' all together and explain to your boss how you've been helping out Martine for the past several years, I hear that the two have a very unhealthy relationship."

Feeling as if he was being pushed in the corner, Maxwell was ready to call Sam's bluff, "You don't know anything!"

"You have no _idea_ what I know. Let's start with how you haven't changed your security codes to any of your homes, or how that little derringer you keep in your nightstand might make you feel safer, but you still have no idea how to shoot it to save your life. How about the fact that you have someone on the inside of the Jenna Foundation who is more than willing to push for your immediate rise to the head of the board on the death of Jenna Erikson, where the money from the Foundation as well as the life insurance policy would be enough for you to finance some very _interesting_ shipments, while keeping you just ahead of your competitors. Nice plan by the way, too bad you're an idiot." Sam hissed, his time was running out and at this point he wanted either the damn envelope or a confession.

Paling, Maxwell had to wonder how this insignificant urchin could have found out. "You don't have proof of any of your wild fantasies, you always did have a wild imagination. Although I must admit, I would have given your father a lot more." He said, looking for the best way to leave, he knew that if Sam had an idea then others did to and he needed to do damage control.

Sam laughed at the audacity of the man, "Yeah, I'm sure you would, but the jokes on you. He would have let you keep me for less." Sam saw the look on Maxwell's face, and knew when he understood that he had been called a fool. "All I want is the closing matter of our agreement. Give me the pictures, and then you can go." Sam said calmly, he knew he had the upper hand, he also knew that Maxwell still didn't have a clue.

Reaching into his coat pocket, Maxwell held out a manila envelope. "How do you know that I don't have copies somewhere?" he asked, wanting to shake up the boy.

"You know that if you have copies, I'll find out, and you won't make it to breakfast." Sam said calmly, fingering the pictures and negatives inside; one more chapter closed in his life. Looking over at Maxwell, he smiled, "I suggest you find a nice safe cop close by Brady Maxwell." He said smiling as he motioned across the plaza to a couple of men dressed in casual business wear walking towards them.

Seeing the men, Maxwell yelled at Sam, "I'll kill you; you know that, I'll find a way!"

"There's worse things than death Brady." Sam said as he turned to leave.

Not one to be left in the dark, Maxwell started to walk away but asked, "What, what is worse than death?"

"Surviving."

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AN: Ok, I hope you liked it, let me know! 


	35. Chapter 35

AN: how about that... two updates in one day... cool! Hope you enjoy!

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Dean and the others stood there in shocked silence as they watched the events unfold in front of them. Taylor had already started recording as soon as they saw Maxwell at the fountain which was a good thing because as soon as they saw Sammy walk into view and take charge of the situation, it was as if they had all been struck senseless.

It wasn't until the words started to really filter in that the seriousness of the youngest Winchester's predicament slammed home. Sammy knew Brady Maxwell, John Winchester arranged it, pictures were involved, and Sammy knew more about what was going on than anyone could ever have imagined. Dean wanted to throw up when his brain finally processed what it had been tumbling around, everything started to make sense.

"_Are you dying Sammy?"… "Not today."_

"_How many damn showers does one person have to take anyway?"_

"_What's the big deal Sammy, taking medication or something?"_

"_Dean, I'd love to tell you what I know, and by law you can actually force my hand, but this is something that I really think you and Sam need to deal with face to face. You're right though, he needs to eat, even if he's not hungry – find a way."_

"_I'm not perfect, and I'm not a Saint, or pure, or whatever it is that you have in your head about me…get married and have two point five kids, because quite honestly it'll be something that I'll never, in all good conscience, be able to do."_

Dean saw the expressions on the other faces in the room and he could tell that they all had figured it out too, and didn't that just make him feel better; _not_. He was about to run out and grab his brother to shake some sense into him for not filling him in sooner when Sammy's words brought everything to a standstill again.

"I suggest you find a nice safe cop close by Brady Maxwell."

Looking out the window they saw two men walking toward them and it took a moment before Kevin Woods spoke up. "Damn, those are Corsinni's goons." He said, watching in morbid fascination as Maxwell's sudden flight instinct was starting to take over. It didn't take long before the two men were starting to run towards the fountain and that was all they need to head towards the door.

Taylor was the only one to hear Sammy's message, "I know your there, I'll put the picture under the mailbox across the street. Tell my brothers I'm sorry."

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By the time the remaining Musketeers got to the ground floor, Sammy had disappeared in a sea of people. They knew that Kevin and a couple of others were going after Maxwell which left them to chase after their 'informant'. The Colonel had joined them and they were about to start to fan out when the phone rang and Taylor filled them in on what Sammy said. Rushing to the mailbox, it took them a moment to find an envelope taped to the underside of the metal container. Dean took it from the Colonel, wanting – no needing – to be the first one to see what was inside. One photo and negative slid smoothly out into his hand. Taking a deep breath he turned it over.

A picture taken at a Christmas party along a coast with a yacht in the background, a couple of children, one of them an early teenaged Sam, standing in front of a large tree next to two men smiling into the camera; Maxwell and Martine.

Letting out a large breath, Dean handed the picture to the Colonel and turned to try and find some sign of his little brother. Seeing only people going home from work, or to and from shopping, he was quickly getting frustrated. He had no idea what was going on in Sammy's head, and that at the moment scared him more than anything. Looking back towards the group he knew that they had just been handed what they were searching for, but it really didn't help him at the moment. It took him a moment before he realized that they were looking at him because his phone was ringing. Grabbing it, he was about to turn it off when he saw who it was, and rushed to answer.

"SAMMY! Damn it, you promised not to run off anymore!"

"_Well, actually, I walked."_ Sam said quietly, trying to gauge his brother's mood.

"So not funny little brother." Dean replied, more annoyed than mad, but that could still go either way.

"_It's a little funny."_

"Where are you? Tell me and me and the guys will come get you and bring you home."

"_Can't Dean, sorry."  
_

"What do you mean 'can't Dean, sorry'? Tell me where you are or…"

"_Dean, calm down, I really can't. I have no idea at the moment where I am. I'm starting to feel like Bugs Bunny." _

Dean couldn't help but smile; he knew exactly what Sammy was talking about, "Should have taken a left, huh?"

"_Yeah, look, I didn't really run off… ok, I did, but only for a little bit. I just needed a little time to sort this out."_

"Uh, hate to break it to you little brother, but you've had plenty of time to sort this out. Don't you think it's time to fill in the rest of us?" Dean asked, knowing that he was putting Sammy on the spot, but not seeing a way around it.

"_Do you really want to know?"_

Shocked by the question, Dean looked at his phone, "What the hell Sammy? Of course we want to know how the hell do you think we can help when we don't even know what the problem is?"

There was a long pause and Dean was wondering if the call had been dropped without him knowing it. He took a moment to look and see the guys including the Colonel waiting to see what was going on, he had no idea what to tell them. Finally, he heard something that made him heartbroken and wished for the silence again.

"_If you're going to get rid of me, can we just do it now, I really don't think I can do it in person."_

"What the… alright, that's it, I'm going to track your ass down. Give me a street sign, a billboard, anything… better yet, Stephen, call Taylor, see if he can find Sammy. I'm coming, and then we're going to have a very long, very overdue talk, and you know how I hate those." Dean sounded pissed, but he was scared, he thought they had gotten beyond this point with Sammy, and now in less than an hour the other Sam was back and who knew what he was going to do.

"_Dean, I know where I am now. I'll see you at home."_

Dean looked at his phone for a moment then started to call Sammy, but little brother didn't answer. "Damn it!" he said, hitting the mailbox in frustration. Seeing the anxious look on everyone's faces he relayed what Sammy said, and how he'd meet them at home.

The Colonel knew that no matter how much he wanted to be in on the discussion, it wasn't his place. Ushering his men back to their makeshift headquarters they were quickly filled in about the arrest of Brady Maxwell after walking up to a police officer and confessing to a litany of things the tops of which were conspiracy to commit murder by hiring people to run Jenna off the road. Confused by the turn of events, the Musketeers asked Katie about what they had missed and weren't disappointed when she told them about how Maxwell was telling his story to one of their agents as they spoke, all with the agreement that they would make sure the Corsinni Cartel couldn't find him.

"So little bro had some valid info, I don't know if I should be impressed or worried." Stephen said as they made their way out of the building towards the Tahoe. After loading up the SUV they were about to get in to get back to base when they were approached by two men dressed in designer black much the way Sammy had been. Not sure what to expect, the Musketeers had their guns at the ready, and waited.

"My name is Marciello, you must be Dean. Your brother talked about you." The first man said with a smile, "We were sent to give Sam our regards and for him to know that there is no ill will, he did what needed to be done; no more, no less. Will you make sure he knows this?"

Dean wasn't sure who these guys were, if they had anything to do with Corsinni's men then that talk just got a lot longer. Nodding, he agreed to pass on the message. As he started to get in the Tahoe, the second man spoke up, "Tell the kid he still owes me a game."

"What the hell?" Taylor asked, "Little bro been hanging out with mobsters or something? Really man… what the hell?"

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Celia had a very special passenger in her car tonight, and she knew that by the way he kept staring out the window and chewing on his nails that he thought things were worse than they were. She couldn't have been more surprised to see Sam walk into the clinic door, looking as if the whole world had fallen on him. He didn't want to talk about it, but did accept the offer of a hot shower and a place to change his clothes. He knew that the clothes he had on weren't his and it didn't surprise her when he came out in a pair of sweat pants and long tee shirt trying to fold the other clothing so they wouldn't wrinkle in his backpack. Now she looked at him, and could tell that he was worn out.

She had seen how tired he was during the Jubilee, and from the way the Colonel was describing how Jenna had turned a cold shoulder on him, she knew that he was feeling that weight too. Knowing what she knew didn't help since she couldn't tell Jenna the reason why Sam said what he did, and it sure didn't help when she saw the pain, both physical and mental, shining in his eyes. He'd been pushing himself too far too fast, and she was truly worried that if it didn't change soon, he would be in the hospital for the fight for his life.

Pulling in front of the apartment, she watched as Sam walked up to the main door and pause as if he was about to face a firing squad, then open the door and walk through without a backwards glance. She knew the Musketeers loved him, she just wished he loved himself half as much.

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The guys had worried about how Sammy would get home, but a call from Celia had taken care of that. While he was in the shower, she took a moment to let them know that he was alright and 'don't you dare come over', that she'd bring him home after she got done in the clinic.

Now after a very small dinner and a very unenthusiastic card game, they all were starting to worry that something had happened. Maybe those goons had really meant to throw them off the trail and left Sammy open for who knows what they had wanted to do. With as many theories that were starting to fly around the apartment, it was a relief to hear the door open and see the object of their concern walk in. Everyone stood there staring at each other, no one wanting to be the first one to start. Finally, Sam had to reach down and pick up the kitten that had managed to escape his room and start crawling up his pants.

"Watch it Legolas, you've got claws you know." Sam said as he gently picked up the kitten and put the furry bundle on his shoulder.

"Right, so instead of putting it down, you put it on another part of your body. Smooth, little brother, real smooth. What's with the name anyway?" Dean asked, hoping to see Sammy relax a little now that he was back with them.

Sam shrugged his shoulders, not really sure he wanted to tell them something so ridiculous. "I named him after an elf in Lord of the Rings."

Taylor couldn't help but smile, he remembered liking the trilogy himself when he was in basic training, and knew that Sammy was probably just as enthralled with the idea of something other than the here and now; especially now. "How far have you gotten?" he asked, hoping to borrow the books later on.

"Uh, I just started the second one. It's driving my Lit teacher nuts; he doesn't think that Tolkien is in the same league as Shakespeare."

Dean was glad to see Sammy talking; the problem was he wasn't talking about what they needed to be talking about. "Ok you girls, break it up, you can compare notes during recess." He said, trying to get everyone back on track. "Sammy, sit on the couch, ok?"

Finally getting everyone settled, they made sure to arrange themselves to surround their little brother without trying to be intimidating, they knew that with what they were going to hear, it was going to be hard for everyone involved. "Sammy, how do you know Maxwell?" Dean asked, not wanting another excuse to postpone this discussion. It took a few moments, but when Sammy finally started talking it was in a low soft voice and he didn't look up from Legolas who was lying in his lap.

"Dad and I were in trouble, we already owed for two nights at the motel we were staying in and we still had to finish the hunt. He had taken the emergency seed money and we went into the closest bar. He had been drinking earlier in the day, and hadn't fully sobered up yet when he started hitting the hard stuff and trying to hustle a game of pool." Sam paused, not wanting to remember that night, not wanting to remember that he had been paying closer attention to things around him in the hope he could find Dean, he hadn't fully believed the doctor when she said he didn't have a brother, so it became his own personal private game. "The local foundry had just given everyone their Christmas bonuses so there was a lot of celebrating going on, not to mention a lot of forgiveness for the blatant way Dad was hustling. That was until Dad picked a fight, accusing the other guy of cheating." He shivered slightly at the memory of his Dad being in the hole by six hundred bucks with the assurance that he had the money in the car, but no one believed him; they weren't _that_ drunk. "A group of guys hauled him outside to get the money 'one way or another.' They were working him over pretty good when a car pulled up and this guy demanded to know what was going on. After being told the whole story, they pointed out that they would have let it go since I was there, but Dad insisted on making it an issue. The guy settled Dad's debt and even gave enough extra to buy a round of drink for everyone."

Dean wasn't sure what all this had to do with Brady Maxwell, but he could tell that it was taking one hell of a toll on his little brother, and made him wish he had kept his mouth shut.

"The guy introduced himself as Brady Maxwell and that he was hoping Dad would be willing to do him a favor. Every year his company would throw a big party and bring in a lot of kids from the surrounding areas as a big PR stunt, and he thought I'd fit right in with the image they were trying to sell. Dad laughed so hard he cried right there in the parking lot, saying that if he was going to help the guy out, then the guy should be more than willing to help him out as well. They both argued back and forth for awhile and by the time it was all said and done I was to help with the whole Holiday Season, including some New Year's promotion, and Dad would get a thousand upfront and a thousand when he picked me up in two weeks."

They waited to hear the rest, but Sammy stayed quiet, and they couldn't really blame him. They wanted to know how he knew Maxwell, and he told them, that should be enough for now. Only it left a very important question to be asked, and they had no idea how to approach it.

Dean watched Sammy tell the story and become more drawn in on himself by the minute, until he was pretty sure that it wouldn't take much more to make his little brother curl into a tight ball right there on the couch. "Sammy, you look tired, have you eaten?" Seeing the negative answer, Dean was about to go and fix something for him when he was stopped by something Sammy said.

"It wasn't so bad." Sam said, thinking about those two weeks that contained enough confusion to last a lifetime. Before anyone could ask what he meant he looked up and smiled, "I learned how to Waltz."

Stephen shared a look with Dean then looked at their little bro, he knew that it was a delicate subject, and they all had their suspicions, but if they were going to help, they needed to know what they were dealing with. "Sammy, you know that Maxwell has HIV, right?" he asked, watching Sammy's response, and waited until he got an answer. "Sammy, do you have it too?"

The room was still and quiet, Legolas didn't even stir in Sam's lap, as if every molecule in the room was waiting for the answer, and when it came, they all realized that none of them were really ready for it.

"Yes."

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AN: Ah jeez... flame on! 


	36. Chapter 36

AN: Ok... I was... uh, challenged? to get update 3 posted tonight and TA-DA! I did it! Hope you enjoy!

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The air had been sucked out of the room; that was it, that was why he couldn't breathe. Dean knew he was being irrational, but it was the only explanation he had because anything else just wasn't making sense. One minute he was on his way to fix Sammy something to eat, the next he felt as if the world just ended. Looking at his little brother he could only stand there and watch as Sammy got up and walked into his bedroom.

"Well, that went well." Joseph said, laying his head back against the couch wondering what they could do to make this better. He looked across the room and saw that Stephen and Taylor looked as lost as he felt, and Dean looked as if he was going to pass out.

Sam walked back into the room after depositing Legolas on his bed and sat on the floor with his backpack in his lap. As his brother watched, he pulled the inner lining out of the pack until he exposed the envelope that he had taken out of the Impala, as well as blister packs of samples of various medicines. Pulling out the envelope he put it off to the side, "I had someone scan my medical records onto disks, and these are the meds I'm on." Sam said quietly, if he was going to face them, he was going all the way. "These are what I'm taking most of the time you think I'm taking aspirin, and it's why I clean up the bathroom after I take a shower, hell it's why I take so many showers… maybe if I keep scrubbing…"

They didn't let him finish his downward spiral of self depreciation. Dean put himself in front of his little brother and made him look up at him. "Sammy, you did nothing wrong, do you hear me?" he asked "There is nothing that you could do or have that would make us think any less of you, nothing!"

Sam heard all of his brothers agree, and he couldn't understand why they felt that way. Didn't they understand what he was, what he'd become? He had been honest with them, why couldn't they be honest with him? Looking at them all, he couldn't understand why they continued to look at him with concern, and he couldn't take it anymore. "Don't you get it? I'm not only broken, but I don't have the good sense to die; I have to draw it out until there's nothing left and take all of you with me! The only good thing about all this is I know that it won't go that far, Dad's out there, and he will make sure I'm dead sooner than this damn disease can take me! So quit looking at me as if there's some great surprise coming, 'cause there's not!"

Everyone sat there in complete surprise as they watched their little brother go into complete meltdown then shut himself off in his room. They continued to sit there, each one trying to make sense of what they heard, and what they saw; each knowing that Sammy was so caught up in his own pain he couldn't see anything else at the moment.

Finally, Dean looked around and asked, "Well, we've been wondering what he's thinking, did that answer our question?"

Walking over the door, they knocked on the door, and then tested the knob to make sure it was unlocked. "Sammy?" Dean called out as he opened the door, allowing the others to quietly walk in with him after he got a glimpse of his little brother.

Sam had just shut the door when his common sense took control once again. 'What the hell's the matter with me? They just want to help, it doesn't matter if there's nothing they can do; they're here. God I'm such an idiot!' he silently berated himself as he thought about the events leading up to the present. If only he could turn back time, if only he could have found a way to… to what? Make sure dad hadn't lost his mind? Make sure Dean never left? Might as well have arranged for world peace while he was at it. Picking up the mewling kitten, he laid on his bed and looked up at the ceiling wondering if he could get that kid in his art class to paint something up there as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep, oblivious to the worried brothers in the next room.

After seeing Sammy sleeping with the kitten on his chest, they thought about leaving him alone for awhile, especially after the week that he'd been having. As they took the contents of the backpack to the kitchen, Taylor brought in a laptop and they started going over his medical records uncovering more details of what their little bro had been through. Most of the items were from Dr. Long and apparently she liked to take detailed notes not only about the treatment of her patients but notes of family members too, and it didn't take them long to uncover an obvious crush on John and how she was more determined to 'cure his only son, no matter what it took'. After looking at the records, it became obvious why Sammy's memories had a tendency to get a little flaky in spots; John had approved a round of shock therapy during one of their 'specialized sessions' when Sammy had gotten too rebellious.

Closing the computer, Taylor looked to the rest of the guys and asked, "I say John Winchester dies, anyone opposed?" Not hearing any argument, he quickly put the records aside and set up parameters to start looking for John under any of his known aliases, then let his customized piece of machinery do its thing.

Joseph had been looking at the medicines that Sammy had been taking, and was pleased that he had gotten new batches, which made him suspect that Celia knew. "Hey Dean, didn't you say that Celia knew something but was hoping we could get Sammy to talk about it?"

"Yeah, why?" Dean asked as he pulled four beers out of the fridge. He remembered the conversation like it was mere minutes ago; it wasn't something he could forget. Worried, he looked at the medicine, then at Joseph, "Is everything ok? Are these good? If not say so and tomorrow he's going in and getting new ones."

Smiling, the guys knew what Dean was feeling. Now that they all knew what was going on, they could all help take care of Sammy and get him through it. Picking up one of each of the sample packs, Joseph showed them what was being taken. "There's nothing wrong, in fact, he's on the most up to date starter cocktail I know, which means that the virus is responding well to treatment."

Looking relieved, Dean had to admit that he felt better knowing that whatever treatment Sammy was on was working for him. Now they just had to keep him healthy enough to allow it to continue. "Hey, you know we can bring Celia over and have her tell us about some of the things they do at the clinic. You know she's always excited about something new they're trying. Think it'll work?"

"It'll work." A voice in the doorway surprised them, "You're right, they have some really cool things going on." Sam continued as he walked into the kitchen. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but was fairly certain it wasn't long. After thinking about how he acted he felt awful and wanted to make it up to his brothers. "Are you really sure you're all ok with this? I mean, I have no idea how long this is going to drag out and…"

"Sammy, we're in this together, no matter what. Is that why you were so down on the idea of going to college?" Taylor asked, seeing the answer in little bro's face.

Nodding, Sam sat down and looked at them closely, "Even if dad wasn't lurking around, I have what ten, fifteen years before AIDS takes over? I've already had the disease for two years, by the time I finish high school; that will bring it down to four maybe nine years. Even if I did get through college, what would be the point? I'd rather try and find a way to enjoy my life and maybe in the process make a contribution than spend my time studying and counting down the minutes."

As they listened to Sammy, they understood that he had been thinking about this and truly felt his time was closing in. Between the disease and the not so subtle threat of John still hanging over his head, they now saw his life through his eyes, and it wasn't a long one.

"Ok, we get it finally little brother, but you can't expect us to let you waste your time. You need to live your life." Dean said, trying hard not to feel the pressure in his chest that told him that he was losing his baby brother.

Laughing, Sam could understand why they thought the way they did but he was wondering why they hadn't found the other item in the bag. "Well, I wouldn't really be wasting my life, or at least I don't think so. Hold on." Walking into the living room, he rummaged through his bag until he found what he was looking for; in for a penny, in for a pound. Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, he tossed a bank register onto the table. "I found a pretty good deal and getting the money wasn't hard, but finding a decent contractor who liked a challenging deadline was a bit much, then you try to explain to a banker that you want to refinance something you just bought."

No one had any idea what he was talking about, but it was Stephen who opened the register up and looked at the name on the checks. Real Brothers Investments. Looking around the table the questions were piling up and it took a moment for Sam to explain. "I made an agreement with the Colonel; I'd be Jenna's bodyguard if he put most of my pay in an account and help me invest it. I wanted to make sure that you had something to fall back on in case you didn't want to stay in the Marines after I'm gone. Last week I signed all the papers to finalize everything, when I'm gone, all of you get my business. Actually you can have it now if you want, just leave me some cash once in awhile." Sam joked; trying to gauge they're reactions.

Taylor would have been speechless except for the question that popped out of his mouth. "What business Sammy?" Seeing that the others were just as curious, he didn't feel as dumb as he had.

"Oh! Uh… I bought a house, and I normally would have fixed it up, but with Jenna and everything, I needed to hire someone. I already found a realtor who'll act as the property manager, so when it's rented I don't have to worry about things in the middle of the night. In fact it should be rented by the end of the week."

They could tell that Sammy was proud of himself, and who wouldn't be, he set out to do something and he did it, but now the question remained of how he planned on doing it again. "How do you know how to fix up houses Sammy?" Dean asked, wondering if a skill had been passed down that he didn't remember.

Whatever smile was there, was now gone, and Sam could only look at Dean and answer honestly. "The reason dad even thought about letting me go with Maxwell was because he went through what money we had like it was water. After I got back I knew that the only way it wasn't going to happen again, was if I didn't let it. I learned as much as I could when I could from cutting coupons and catching sales to shingling a roof. There was no way I was going to go through that again."

Knowing that any enjoyment that their little brother had while sharing his surprise was gone, they decided to fall back on the well known ice breaker - poker.

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He knew the boy was inside and that the boy knew where the artifact was; now all he had to do was catch the young pup by himself and he'd get the information he needed. His only obstacle was Winchester. He found out about the exception to the rule at the same time which meant leap year was just any other year on the calendar, and the artifact was going to be very much in demand. Looking up at the boy's darkened room, he continued to watch, he could wait; he now had plenty of time.

* * *

AN: And the saga continues... :) 


	37. Chapter 37

It was the sound of his brother screaming that had Dean bolting upright out of bed without actually opening his eyes first. He hadn't heard that sound in over four years, and he had prayed that he never would again. Practically running into the rest of the brothers at Sammy's door, they quickly burst in with weapons in hand ready to take on whoever was hurting their little brother. After turning on the light they saw Sammy sitting there on his bed drenched in sweat and not able to catch his breath while his eyes stayed completely unfocused.

Knowing the effects of a nightmare when he saw one, Dean started talking to Sammy before he even reached him. It took a few minutes, but Sammy finally turned to them puzzled and asked, "Guys, what's wrong?" leaving them all limp with relief that he was back with them. Smiling, Dean gently pushed Sammy back down onto the bed then looked back at the others, "I'll stay here, you guys go on back to sleep." Which brought out protests from Sam that he wasn't three, and chuckles from the others that he sounded like it.

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Dean woke to a stiff neck and the morning sun shining in his eyes. Looking over, he noticed that Sammy had already gotten up and had even covered him with a blanket. Smiling, he had to wonder about his brother, how he was a constant walking contradiction, but that he wouldn't have him any other way. Stretching his stiff muscles, he continued to put his thoughts in order when he heard Amber start to scream and what sounded like his little brother yelling for her to get into the house. Taking only a moment to look out the window his concern turned to anger when he saw Sammy get tossed into the trash cans by a man that he had never seen before. Running out of the room he was met by the others, but didn't pause to fill them in as he raced down the stairs hoping that he could reach his little brother in time.

Sam had been talking to Amber about Legolas when he was approached, not too nicely, by a man claiming to be friends with his dad. Not remembering the man, he quickly made to move back into the apartment when the man grabbed his arm and swung him around giving him no other option but to defend himself. He had managed to get a solid hit in before the guy tazered him and threw him into the trash cans causing more pain and confusion. He could barely register what the guy was yelling at him, something about having a key, and knowing where it was, or needing to know where it was. Nothing was making much sense and all he wanted was to lie there on the cold concrete and not think about anything. Feeling the ground vibrate, he couldn't help but think that it almost tickled his ear as it got more pronounced as the vibration was accompanied by the sound of running feet. More noise and then he was being lifted up into strong arms and moving quickly away from home.

'Carrying little bro this easily shouldn't be happening', Stephen thought as he was practically running to the Suburban, Dean already behind the wheel and Taylor keeping pace then helping get Sammy inside the SUV. Sunday morning traffic was light which made it a lot easier as they bypassed the base hospital and went to Celia at the clinic, praying that they weren't making a mistake.

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"Yes, I'm sure Dean. He has a concussion, and with the combined effect of the tazer, he's going to be out of it for awhile. When he wakes up fully, you can take him home, there's no need to worry." Celia said, feeling as if she was talking to a small child.

Not believing what he was hearing, Dean could only exclaim, "You're kidding right? C'mon Celia, you know better than that, especially with his condition. I mean what if…"

"Dean, calm down. Look I'm glad that he told you, he was more worried about your reaction than anything else, but as you guys have already figured out, he's responding very well to treatment, in fact his viral loads are on the lower end of the scale telling me that he can stay symptom free for a very long time."

"How long really Celia?" Taylor asked; concerned about the conversation they had the previous night.

"Taylor I've had patients who have had it for ten years and are still going strong, with every indication that they will go another ten more. On the other side, I've lost patients with only two years under their belts, but those are the ones that we couldn't get leveled out in the early stages. Sam is young, strong, and besides his HIV status, healthy. So, you big babies, quit worrying so much." She said, seeing how seriously they were taking it, and although a good thing, Sam needed their support, not their suffocation.

Taking a deep breath, Dean was starting to feel a little better about the situation, but one thing bothered him about what she said. "Celia, you said he was worried about how I'd take it, did he say why?"

Celia had turned away to get some brochures for the guys and paused, no she didn't know exactly, but she was starting to suspect something. "No, he didn't talk about it, but I have a feeling that if you really thought about, you'd figure it out." She said while handing them pamphlets on HIV and treatment options. When she saw he wasn't appeased, she looked at him and leaned back in her chair. "Dean, when you left, was everything ok between you and Sam?" she asked, not sure if it was personal or professional curiosity that had won out.

Shocked by the question, it took him a moment to respond, "Things were fine, I mean not perfect, he was upset I was leaving, but I told him that it was for the best and that things would be better. Guess I got that wrong, didn't I?" he was still in his own thoughts when he saw that she was wanting him to continue "Sammy got hurt really bad and was in the hospital for a couple of days, that's when I saw that John acted more like a dad to him when I wasn't around, I honestly thought it was the right thing."

"So, you left while he was in the hospital?" she asked, not sure that she was hearing correctly.

"What! No! I waited until he was out and resting at the motel we were staying in before I went and talked to a recruiter. I swear that kid…" as he heard what he said, it suddenly kicked in why his little brother didn't trust him enough to tell him about his condition; he'd left before when Sammy was sick, what was so different now? "Ah, damn it!"

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Joseph had stayed behind to keep the guy in check while the cops made their appearance, and he was glad that it was him babysitting the creep instead of Dean; the guy would have been dead by now, not that he wasn't too far from it, but that was besides the point.

It hadn't taken too long for the guy to wake up after the guys had rushed Sammy to the clinic, and it didn't take too long for the guy to thoroughly piss him off.

'_You think you know him? He's a coward, and he'd been dead a long time ago if it wasn't for his daddy. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he's the only one who knows where the Key is, he'd be dead by now and everything would be right with the world.'_

_Joseph looked at the man in disbelief, 'Are you insane, Sammy's alive in spite of his father.'_

_The man laughed and shook his head, 'The kid's crazy, everyone knows it. Although, I hear that some people have a taste for crazy… is that you're preference? Do you and your pals keep little Sammyboy around to help satisfy some urges that wouldn't be fitting…'_

_Staring down at the unconscious man, he could only account for the first two bruises on his face, the rest had come after the veil of rage had descended, leaving some extra explanations to be made after the police officers finally arrived._

After filling out his report to the officers, he waited anxiously for a phone call, but when none came after a couple of hours and he couldn't get through to anyone, he was about to rush out and find them himself. Opening the door in full stride, he ran into someone getting ready to knock and after seeing who it was, he could only stand there a moment in shock. "Darla."

"Hello Joseph, I left a few things here and was hoping I could get them. I'm about to go on a trip and won't be back for a couple of weeks." She said coolly as if she was waiting for him to make a fool out of himself.

Clearly distracted, it took him a moment to realize what she said, "Actually, it's a really bad time Darla. Can you catch me after you get back?"

She couldn't believe what she heard, and it showed on her face. "What, no, I can't wait. I need that small jewelry box, I take it with me when I travel – you know that!" She yelled as she pushed past him.

"Darla, you can't… damn… DARLA, this is so not the right time!" he said following her into the bedroom. As she starts to search for her missing jewelry box, he heard the front door open making the damage being done to his room inconsequential. Leaving her alone, he rushed to the living room to see everyone getting settled in the living room. "Sammy! Oh little bro you don't know how good it is to see you! Are you ok? Celia give you a clean bill of health? Come on guys, spill!"

Laughing the guys could only stare at Joseph. "Dude, we would if you'd shut up; jeez, you're worse than an old woman." Dean teased, watching his friend turn bright red before he alleviated his fears. "Sammy, tell him."

"She says that I'll be groggy for awhile, mainly because of the concussion, but I'll be ok as long as I rest for awhile." He said, smiling at Joseph's antics. He couldn't believe he got this lucky.

Joseph felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he was about to call for a celebration when Darla came into the living room. "Joseph, may I speak with you please?" she asked softly, making the others in the room wonder what had happened while they were gone.

Suddenly remembering that she was there, Joseph turned to her and calmly shook his head. "I'm pretty sure we already said what needed to be said the other night, so if you've found your box, I think it's time for you to go."

Darla looked at him, and then at the others before demanding, "Is it because of him? Is he why you hid it, why you changed your mind?" At the confused looks on everyone's faces she held out the ring box. "I found it hidden, like you couldn't stand to look at it, and you're looking at me as if I've done something horrible?"

"Actually, I had it hidden to surprise you after the Jubilee. I had it all planned out, but you're the one who decided to attack my little brother here." Seeing where she was about to go, he stopped her. "Family isn't what you're born into Darla. If that was the case I'd still be on the damn farm doing what I hated just to make them happy. My family is here, and you couldn't accept that. So, no… you don't get to try and make me feel guilty about choosing these guys over you. It's not going to happen. So put the ring down and leave."

It took her a few seconds to realize that he was serious and looked longingly at the ring before looking at the other guys. Feeling as if she had made a huge mistake, she tossed the ring on the coffee table and left.

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Terrance hadn't slept all night, the occurrences of the previous day haunting him, all the while answering so many questions. Of course he hadn't been told, and there is no guarantee that his suspicions were correct, after all exposure to the disease did not guarantee contraction, but with everything else added into the mix, he was pretty confident that the young man he had come to admire has the same disease that his beloved wife was afflicted with. Turning away from the ocean view, he thought about what Sam had done for his daughter, and although he didn't agree, he still respected that he put Jenna first in front of his own wants. Now though, he needed to figure out a way to bring Jenna around to his way of thinking.

With the threat of death removed from Jenna, it was safe to say that Sam's services as bodyguard would no longer be needed. However, there were other agreements that needed clarification and he meant to see it taken care of before the issues got mangled. Grabbing his keys, he was about to head out the door when he saw Jenna's grandparents bring her home. 'Good, this could be better than I initially planned.' He thought as he watched her give them a kiss and wave goodbye.

"Hi Daddy! Did you miss me?" she asked, happy to be home instead of the fortress that her grandparents had created of their house.

Smiling, Terrance guided Jenna to the Tahoe, "You know I did. How about you keep your old man company while I run a couple of errands?" he asked, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist going out without an entourage. When she looked at him questioningly, he smiled, "Sam broke the case sweetheart, no more body guards for you."

Jenna processed what she heard then looked at her dad, saying the only thing that came to mind, "Oh."

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"What do you mean you know you're not going to school tomorrow? We just came up with it five minutes ago." Dean asked as he looked over at his little brother. Sometimes he had no idea what was going on his head.

Sam looked completely confused, "Dean, Jenna doesn't need a body guard anymore, my job's done… why would I go to school tomorrow?"

Dean was just about to lose it when Taylor jumped in, "Sammy, just because you're job's done doesn't mean you stop going to school, I thought we had all this worked out? You'd stay at the Academy this year and we'd figure something out for next year."

"Yeah, but…"

"No Sammy, there's no way you're not going to school, that's final." Dean barked, wondering how his little brother could have thought they all agreed that he would drop out of school. College was one thing, but High School? No way, he wasn't going to follow in his footsteps.

Before the discussion could go any further, Stephen was letting the Colonel and Jenna into the apartment, leading them into the living room where everyone was crashed on the couch and recliner. Wondering if they had shown up at the wrong time, Terrance was about to suggest that they return later when he was stopped short by Dean.

"Colonel, talk some sense into him, he's talking crazy!"

While they were filling the Colonel in on the conversation, Jenna had asked for a drink and was pointed towards the kitchen with a quick, "The kitchen hasn't gone anywhere silly girl" then everyone was wrapped up with the argument about Sam's education again. It wasn't very long before Jenna walked back out into the living room with tears in her eyes holding a sample pack of Norvir and a pamphlet that Celia gave them.

"Which one of you macho men didn't listen to my mother?"


	38. Chapter 38

The room was suddenly still with everyone first looking at Jenna confused, and then stunned when they saw what she held in her hand. Dean could have kicked himself for leaving everything out on the kitchen table like that, and he didn't even want to think about how Sammy was feeling at the moment; the kid had just got the courage to tell them last night, and with Hurricane Jenna on the loose who knew what type of damage could be done.

Stephen was the first to step up, "Jenna, look…"

"Don't tell me it's you Stephen; you're mom's a nurse and I know for a fact that she taught you better than that. I also know that there is no way that any of you would be idiotic enough to be doing drugs, so shooting up is out of the question… so which one of you didn't think before you acted?" Jenna was upset and she didn't care who knew it. She knew what she saw, and she knew that someone that she cared about was going to go through the same hell as her mother because of their own stupidity.

Dean wasn't going to take the chance of her misguided anger getting turned to Sammy, he liked Jenna, respected the Colonel more, but if there was a choice to be made; his little brother came first. "Ok Jenna stop, we get that you're upset, but…" The Colonel said trying to interrupt his daughter's tirade.

"Oh, you get that I'm upset. Well I would hope so Daddy, don't you think that they should have learned something from Mom's death? How many times did she harp on them to be careful and to take things slowly, and now what… one of them didn't? Are you going to stand there and tell me you're alright with this?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Jenna, put the stuff down so we can talk about this." Taylor said. He knew that the anger was really fear, but she was already pushing some very sensitive buttons, and he knew that they wouldn't be able to contain Mt. Dean for much longer.

Not believing what she heard, she turned to Taylor and demanded, "Talk about it, you want to talk about it? I would expect something like this from Dean being the man whore that he is, but from the rest of you? Let me guess, you had a transfusion you forgot about before 1985 and it's just now catching up to you?"

"That's enough Jenna," Sam said, standing from the couch, "leave my brothers out of this. You know for someone who spends so much time supposedly helping people, you sure are quick to jump to conclusions and judge someone. I have to wonder how those people at the clinic can feel comfortable talking to you about their condition." When she saw the hurt look on her face, he walked to the door, "Those pills are mine, I wasn't 'idiotic' enough to shoot up, I didn't get a transfusion before 1985, I guess that only leaves one other way doesn't it? So I'll save you the trouble of being around my 'stupid' man whore self and ask you to leave, or I can go; either way, but choose!"

Jenna stood there in shock, wondering why Sam would say something so outrageous, "Sam… no."

"No what Jenna? No you aren't going to leave, no you don't want me to? What?"

"You don't have to lie Sam, they're big boys, they can face up to it." Jenna said quietly, watching Sam for any indication that he had been lying.

"Not lying here Jenna, I've known about it for two years, those are my pills you're holding in your hand, and those are my brothers that you were bashing. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's obvious what your decision is." Sam said calmly before he walked out the door.

Dean reached over and took the items out of Jenna's hand before looking at the Colonel, "Sir, I hate to ask, but…"

"No Dean, you don't have to worry, we should have left earlier. Tell Sam that I want to finish our discussion, and I'll call him later." The Colonel said as he guided Jenna out the door. The guys heard them quietly arguing as they went down the stairs before the front door closed soundly behind them.

Letting out a deep breathe, Joseph asked the others, "Any idea where to start looking?"

Stephen and Taylor had just grabbed their keys when the phone rang. Dean talked for a minute, relief in his voice before he smiled and looked at them. "He was just downstairs; he's on his way up now."

When the door opened, they looked at Sam carefully, seeing how the argument with Jenna had hurt him greatly. Knowing that he probably wouldn't want to talk about it for awhile, they ushered him to the couch and made him lay down. "Look, just humor us, ok?" Taylor asked Sam, hoping that he'd listen and stay down for a little while. Smiling, Sam nodded and closed his eyes.

So wrapped up in little bro's drama, they weren't expecting the door to open and was surprised to see Mandy walk in with her arms filled with grocery bags. Jumping up, they helped her in the door before asking what she was doing.

Looking puzzled, she replied, "I thought we were having a cookout this evening. Oh, did I get the day mixed up again? I'm sorry!"

Taylor smiled and wrapped her in a hug, "Don't worry baby, you did good. I have a feeling that this time it was us who forgot. We had some excitement today and everything else just kind of slipped away."

Happy that she hadn't messed up, she started to put the items away to be used later when she looked at the table. "Uh guys? Who has HIV?"

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Jenna continued to look at her father in disbelief, "What do you mean you already knew? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, not keeping the hurt out of her voice, "I would have kept my mouth shut if I'd known!"

"Maybe you should have done that anyway sweetheart." Terrence told her gently, "No one told me specifically, and the Musketeers only found out yesterday, it's all part of how Sam found out about who was behind the death threats and how to stop it. I wasn't going to push the issue since it's also a very sensitive subject on how he contracted it. Now let it go Jenna, before you do even more damage than what you did with your mouth not engaging your brain earlier."

Feeling as if she were a little girl being chastised for bad behavior, Jenna sat quietly in her seat and watched the scenery go by. "Daddy, Sam already said how he got it, what's so sensitive about it?" she asked, still in denial that the Sam that she knows and had been falling so hard for had been so careless when he was what, thirteen? It didn't make any sense; it didn't seem like Sam. She was pulled abruptly out of her thoughts when her father answered.

"Jenna sweetheart, for someone who helps people in dire circumstances, you still can be niave."

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For the second time that day, Dean could have kicked himself. 'Ok, that's it… I'm giving this stuff back to Sammy right now; he's a lot better at hiding it than we are.' He thought angrily, not believing that they hadn't learned their lesson the first time. As the guys looked around to see who was going to answer, Mandy walked into the living room and looked at them.

"Guys? Is everything ok? I didn't mean to be nosy, but there was the paper on the table talking about it and…" her voice trailed off when she saw that Taylor was trying really hard to find a way to tell her something in a way that wouldn't freak her out. She knew that she got a little weird at times, she couldn't help it, she just didn't deal well with the unexpected.

"Mandy, are you ok?" Sam asked, having only heard a little bit of her question and had to wonder why she looked so confused. Well, actually it wasn't too hard to keep her confused, but she seemed more concerned at the moment. "Mandy, what's wrong?"

Dean hated that someone else had found out. It was bad enough that Darla had left without knowing about it, then Jenna's tirade before she found out, and now they were going to have to deal with who knows what type of a reaction that was about to come their way. "Uh Mandy, why don't we…"

"Dean, was she asking about me?" Sam asked, wondering why everyone was looking so tense. Seeing Mandy look puzzled into the kitchen then back at the guys, he could only guess that was the problem. Looking over at Taylor he could see that he was worried, but he couldn't tell exactly why. "Mandy, that stuff in there is mine. I have HIV."

Mandy stood there in shock for a moment then rushed to the couch and started to ramble, "Oh my God! Are you sure? I mean, are they sure? Have they run the test again? They get false positives sometimes you know, make sure that they do it again, just to be safe. You don't want to have to take all that medicine if you don't have to, right? You know, my aunt is into herbs and she swears by some of her plants to keep her immune system healthy, I'll call her later for you, ok? Oh my! I should have gotten more veggies; that would help a lot! I'll go back to the store… don't move!" As she was just about to jump off the couch, Sam stopped her.

"Mandy, they're sure, I was diagnosed with it a couple of years ago. Uh, are you ok?" he asked, not sure what he was expecting, but having her be the one who took it well wasn't it.

Smiling, Mandy looked at him, "Of course I'm ok, why wouldn't I be? Wait…that didn't sound right, did it? I wish you weren't sick, Sam. You're such a sweet person; I've known it since the first time Dean told me about you. So I'm more worried about you than about me. Did that make sense? I swear it did in my head…"

Taylor couldn't keep his eyes off his very ditzy, very loveable girlfriend. Out of everything that he had thought her reaction would be, she surprised him by being the one that had kept her cool and kept everything in perspective; Sammy and how he was doing. Looking at the guys, he could tell that they were just as relieved and just as surprised as he was to the point of miming 'Marry that girl' behind her back.

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Hanging up the phone, Jim couldn't believe what he had just been told. If it was true then Sam was in more danger than they originally thought. It was bad enough that John thought that he could bring back his beloved Mary by using a summoning ritual to bring forth a demigod to help with bad deals, but to make matters worse, word had gotten out about Sam knowing the location of a Mayan artifact that opens the doorway regardless of time and keeps the binding power of the ritual stronger; effectively not giving the demigod a choice in the matter.

Having rushed in packing his bag, he paused only to grab his coat. He needed to warn Dean, and this was something that needed to be said in person, but how do you really tell someone that the one person they love the most in world has a bounty on his head with a timeframe of 'sooner rather than later' attached to it?


	39. Chapter 39

Sam had been trying to concentrate all day on his school work, but the whispers weren't helping. After promising the Colonel and his brothers that he'd continue out the year at the Academy, he managed to make it a priority to do the best he could, and he had found that without having distractions all the time interfering, he was doing much better, and had even managed to solidify his place on the track team for the next year if he wanted. However, his main problem was that his brothers wouldn't talk to him about the possibility of him not having another full school year; instead they all would give him a dark look then change the subject as if everything was fine, just as long as he stayed home, took his meds and ate all his dinner; it was driving him nuts.

To make matters worse, someone found out about his HIV status and had made a point of spreading the news across campus leaving very two distinct sides; those for the right of education and those who preferred that he get tossed out and be forced into public school. It was something that he hadn't talked to his brothers about, mainly because there was nothing they could do about it, and second, he knew how Dean would take it. Instead, Vic had taken to hanging out with him as much as possible, and even giving him ride homes when practice ran too long, or Sam was just tired. Jenna insisted that she hadn't told anyone, but someone had still found out one way or another, and although she insisted she was on his side, he still felt that she wanted full disclosure for the privilege.

"Dude, you really need to talk to your brothers about this. Things could get out of hand pretty damn quick." Vic said as they walked down the hallway to get to the outer doors. All week he had been threatening Sam with talking to his brothers, but somehow he'd been able to put it off. He had a feeling that it was going to change real quick after the last round of vandalism to his locker. "Seriously Sam, do you talk to them, or do I make a call, because the way it stands, whoever's doing it is escalating."

Thinking about how quiet his life had been as Jenna's bodyguard with no one interfering in his life, he had the absurd thought about how he was actually missing the times his life was in danger; at least then he knew what he was up against. After getting called into the Dean of Students office for the fifth time in the four days he had been back, the last thing that he really wanted to do was go home and explain that he was being _bullied_ by some no named group who had it in there heads that he was a menace to society. Ok, so maybe he _could be_ if he wanted, but did these morons really need a practical demonstration? Looking over at Vic, he was about to use another stall tactic, but this time he saw something different – his friend wasn't letting him get away with it today.

Vic stopped by his car and looked at Sam seriously, "Sam, I know that you can take of yourself, that's not an issue. What is an issue is these clowns are going to try and run you out on a rail, and it won't be pleasant. Man, you could get seriously hurt or worse. I really don't think these guys are playing around anymore."

Letting Vic drive him home, he thought about what his friend said and he had to agree to an extent. Whoever it was knew how to push the panic button in other people, and was doing an exceptional job of it. He wasn't really worried about himself, but his friends were going to end up getting hurt if something didn't change; which meant that he had to find out who was doing it, and find a way to stop it.

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Hanging up the phone, the Colonel couldn't believe what he had just been told. Then again some very close minded individuals still walked the Earth and he had to remember that even in southern California, there were still pinheads to contend with. Leaving his office, he walked down a hallway through a set of double doors where people were busy doing their normal routine analysis of data, and others harassing those doing normal routine data analysis. Walking into the room he bellowed, "MUSKETEERS!" then turned around and walked back out leaving four men scrambling to figure out what they did now.

Walking back into his office, the Colonel waited as all four men walked in then closed door as if they had just been sent into the principal's office, which would have been amusing if the situation hadn't been so serious. "Boys, we have a problem. I just got a call from Pembridge Academy and apparently there's been some trouble this week and it's gotten to the point that the administration is 'strongly encouraging' Sam's immediate withdrawal from his classes and enrolling elsewhere."

Dean looked at the other guys feeling as confused as they seemed to be as well. "Sir? What trouble?"

Sitting back in his chair the Colonel wasn't sure how to break the news, but knew that straightforward had always worked for him. "It started with just spray paint on Sam's locker, then when that didn't bother him they broke into his locker effectively destroying his books, they've broken into class supply closets and after trashing it they leave a message on the walls, the least derogatory of them was 'HIV is here'. Instead of launching a full scale investigation, they want to sweep it under the rug and show Sam the door."

The guys sat back in their chairs stunned, none of them had a clue. Sure they had noticed that Sammy had been more tired lately, but they thought it was just a case of the coach upping the workout schedules in order to get ready for Regional's in April, not the added stress of some spoiled brats who wanted to make a statement. Looking at each other they knew that they were going to have to find out what was really going on, and why little bro didn't say anything.

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Vic hadn't just dropped Sam off like he normally did, this time he went up to the apartment to make sure that his friend got inside safely; not that he was going to admit to that. "So, you and Jenna are on the outs, man that sucks. I could totally see you two together."

Sam looked at Vic oddly before asking, "You really are a girl, aren't you?" Their laughter came to a halt as soon as they walked in the door.

Standing in the middle of the living room were all four Musketeers and they looked as if they were ready to attack. Vic looked at Sam and wondered, "Dude, what did you _do_?"

Stephen guided the boys onto the couch and watched as Dean was so upset he couldn't even look at Sammy. It took a moment before Dean could finally ask his question. "What's going on at school Sammy?" leaving both boys feeling as if the rug had been ripped out from underneath them.

Vic looked at Sam and wondered what his friend was going to say. He told him to tell them the first time his locker was trashed, but apparently Sam had some fool idea that the Musketeers have too much to worry about as it is without adding his stuff to the mix. He'd been trying to change his friend's mind all week to no avail, but now it looked like they found out anyway. "Dean, look you know…"

"Can it Vic, you helped him keep it quiet, right. That's not helping…"

"Dean, Vic didn't do anything wrong. He's been telling me all week to fill you in, but what's the point, you can't go to school with me everyday. Besides once they get tired of it, they'll stop, it's no big deal."

Groaning, Vic knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as it came out of Sam's mouth, and right at that moment all he wanted to do was crawl under the couch cushions until the explosion came and went; unfortunately he knew he didn't have time.

"Blow over… BLOW OVER? Are you out of your mind Sammy? Do you have any idea how we felt being told by the Colonel of all people that you were having trouble at school, and now you want us to believe that the best course of action is _nothing_? Unbelievable!" Dean was pacing back and forth in front of Sammy and Vic and he honestly had no idea what to think. As he looked at his little brother he could tell that everything had been piling up and instead of feeling like he could share his burden, he had kept it bottled up even more. Suddenly he stopped, looked at the other guys, then walked out the door leaving the others standing there wondering what had just happened.

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Dean had to get out of there, out of the reasons and excuses, and most of all out of a room that had reminders that the world wasn't fair and his little brother knew that better than the rest of them. He had no idea why he thought that with Sammy sharing his condition with them that things would change, that maybe the kid would start to remember that big brother has his back. It never occurred to him that Sammy still felt like he had to deal with everything alone. He was glad to see that Vic had become such a good friend, but even though he understood why Sammy was staying distant with Jenna, he wished it had turned out some other way.

Walking around the corner, he knew that he needed to get back soon, this wasn't the way to show his baby brother that he still loved him no matter what. Now though he had to find a way to keep Sammy focused in school and hope that they could find out who was behind this smear campaign against his brother, otherwise all their hard work could come undone in a very short amount of time. Seeing the apartment come back into view, he was both relieved and apprehensive. He just hoped that he hadn't messed things up too bad when he walked out, hopefully Sammy will let him explain.

"Hey Dean!" a voice called out to him from the street.

"Celia, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking at his watch and understanding that it was later than what he thought. 'I am so screwed!' he thought looking back at the apartment building.

Smiling, Celia had a feeling that there was a reason why Dean was roaming the streets before he had even gotten out of uniform yet, but she thought that maybe it would be time for explanations later; right now she wanted to spend some time with a certain big, broad Marine who had promised her dinner tonight. "I'm meeting Stephen here and going out. How about you? Let me guess… forgot where you parked the car?"

"Ha, Ha… actually I was trying to get a few things straight in my head, but I think I messed everything else up in the process." He admitted, not sure why he was explaining himself, but then again all the guys found themselves a little out of character when they were around her.

Nodding Celia got out of the car. "I take it this has to do with Sam and school?" she asked, "I got a very interesting phone call from the school earlier this week asking the health risks of the other students. By the time that I was done educating the administration, I could tell that I hadn't given them the answers they were looking for." As they walked up the sidewalk she paused, "Dean, why are all of you determined for Sam to finish high school in that type of environment?"

"Honestly Celia, we didn't know what was going on, Sammy didn't tell us. The Colonel got a 'courtesy call' from the head guy over there and filled him in on all the juicy details. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get him to agree to stay in school as it was? Now it's going to be harder on him just because some closed minded freaks have no idea what's really going on in the world." Dean stopped and looked at her suspiciously, "Don't tell me you're behind Sammy dropping out! No way, he's better than that!"

"Dean, I never said that, but how much of an education do you really think he's going to get when he's spending most of his time looking over his shoulder? That's not even counting the increased stress that this could put on him and his immune system." Celia continued to walk up the stairs, talking as she went, "Honestly Dean, if it was a choice between finding an alternative where his condition wouldn't be an issue, or watch his life get whittled away, then I'd find an alternate solution."

"Like what Celia? Home school? We're not here most of the time. How about we just let him get his GED and be done with it, then what? I need something more to go on besides 'alternate solutions'."

As they both walked in, neither were prepared for what they found. Instead of a calm household, they thought they had walked into a madhouse. "What the hell's going on?" Dean yelled above everyone else.

Stephen was trying to open the bathroom door, but it would only budge slightly making the guys yell more. "Sammy! Sammy say something!" Taylor arrived back in the room with a toolbox and was starting to get tools out to start taking the door apart while trying to explain the situation. "The phone rang, which wasn't a big deal except it was that preacher you two know and then everything went to crap. He went to the bathroom and hasn't come out yet. We think he passed out, but we can't get the damn door open to find out!"

Dean didn't like the sound of that, and for one brief moment he thought that maybe everything was too much for his little brother and he finally gave up. "Don't you dare think like that!" Celia demanded, "We all know he's a lot tougher than that, so knock it off and help them with the door!"

Finally getting the doorjamb taken apart, it was easier to work their way through to undo the hinge pins and maneuver the door out of the way to see their little brother lying unconscious on the floor. Celia had to forcibly push the guys out of her way so she could check on Sam. Feeling the knot forming on the side of his head, Celia was getting concerned why Sam hadn't come to yet, but was trying to keep it all together so the guys wouldn't pick up on her worry. "Alright, let's get him off the floor and onto the couch."

It took several attempts and close to fifteen minutes later before Sammy started showing signs of coming around, by that time it was taking everything that Celia had to keep the guys from taking Sam to the hospital, not that she wasn't thinking about it herself, but she wanted to try and find out why he was passed out first.

Sam looked around to the panic stricken faces that were watching him and he couldn't think of what had happened at first, then it came rushing back making him sit bolt upright before Dean had to catch him from falling back down again. "Whoa there sparky, take it easy." Dean told Sammy waiting for a comeback, but was left disappointed. "Ok, so what's with the crashing in the bathroom?"

Panicked, Sam looked around as if he was waiting for someone else to walk into the room, and what came out of his little brother's mouth scared the hell out of him, not the words, but the slurred stutter that forced them out with great effort. "Jjjimmm….ddaaaaddd… hhhherre"


	40. Chapter 40

AN: Sorry for the wait... things are still a little crazy, but hopefully you all will like the chapter anyway!

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Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing, much less seeing. His little brother had an obvious concussion and was trying to get up from the couch, which he wasn't having much success with at the moment, and was scared out of his mind to the point that he was back to not able to form full sentences. He was just about to ask for more details, knowing how painful it would be for Sammy, when Stephen came in escorting Jim Murphy into the living room. Seeing his friend he was at first relieved until he remembered that he was the reason Sammy passed out in the bathroom in the first place.

"What the hell did you tell him?" he yelled at Jim, really trying to understand what had possessed the pastor to scare his little brother like that.

Jim was more than a little confused and let Dean know it. "I only told him that I was in town and that I had a lead on John." Hearing the groaning from the other men in the room, he asked, "What is it? I came in person to tell you about it, since it wasn't something that should be discussed over the phone."

Trying real hard not to get mad at the clergyman in front of him, he quickly pulled him off to the side and explained, "So, he must have thought you meant that John was in town too. I swear between the two of you…"

"Dean, that's exactly what I told Sam. John is close, but he's gone deep and it's going to take a little while to bring him out in the open." Jim said, wondering how things had gotten so miscommunicated that it would have caused this much chaos in such a short amount of time.

"Are you insane! You call up my little brother and tell him the one person in his life that tormented him none stop for _years_ is close to him, and you don't think there's something wrong with that?" Dean asked, wondering if there was any possible was to get absolution if he strangled a priest.

Puzzled, Jim looked at Sam before looking back at Dean. "I thought he was doing better, has there been a setback?"

Looking at Jim as if he really didn't understand what he was looking at, Dean finally answered, "The only setback is because of John being out there somewhere and you telling Sammy about it. The last we heard he was gone and wouldn't be back for another year. We finally got the kid thinking in terms of living instead of existing, and then the damn phone rings! Now do you get it?"

Before either men could say more, Celia walked up and put a hand on Dean's shoulder, "Dean, Sam needs you to calm him down – now. He's not making sense, his blood pressure is too high, and… damn it, calm him down!"

Rushing over, Dean could tell that the guys had their hands full. For whatever reason, Sammy felt that he needed to be off the couch, but his legs weren't supporting him. The words that did manage to come out of his mouth didn't make sense separately, much less together, and Dean was seriously starting to worry about a stroke. "Celia, should we get him to the hospital?" he asked, more concerned about his little brother's well being he forgot all about what happened the last time he was in one.

"NO! NO! NO HOS S PI TAL!" Sam yelled, showing them all how much more upset he was becoming by the second.

Taylor had been trying to calm Sammy down, while Stephen had tried to talk him out of whatever place his mind had thrown him headlong into, Joseph was pulling something out of his 'bag of tricks' and everyone was praying that something happened soon before they had a real fight on their hands; mainly keeping their little bro alive. Dean looked at Celia for any sort of explanation and all he got was, "Concussion and absolute terror don't mix, Dean." Leaving him wondering what the hell to do. Looking back at Joseph, he wondered what exactly he was looking for that was making his friend look that apprehensive, but decided that it was taking too long. Shortening the distance between them, Dean called out sharply "SAMMY!", and as soon as his little brother's face swung around, Dean clipped him on the jaw with enough force to knock him out, but not enough to do actual damage.

Celia wasn't too pleased with the cause, but she could definitely live with the effects. Reaching over, she started to take Sam's vital signs and it was a few minutes before she started to relax. "His pressure is starting to go down, that's good. Everything else should fall into place. I want to give him a mild sedative to relax him just a bit when he wakes up, we need to see the extent of his concussion but we can't have him going through what he just did again."

The guys adamantly agreed, there was no way Sammy could handle another episode like that, so they watched as she administered the small amount of sedative and hoped that he would forgive them all when he woke.

Vic stood off to the side not sure what to do at the moment. It was obvious that he would be intruding if he attempted to help, but he wasn't just going to abandon his friend either. Whatever had just happened was going to take some explaining, and he was more than willing to wait for one if he had to, his main concern was Sam and how he was going to be when he woke up. It took him a minute to realize that the man Stephen was watching him, gauging his reaction to what he'd seen, but Vic only smiled and gave a little nod to show that everything was cool; he wasn't going anywhere. Seeing Stephen give an acknowledging grin made him feel as if he'd just been accepted into the group, and that made him feel a lot better about the whole situation.

"Well that was embarrassing." Sam said quietly, not fully opening his eyes.

Dean smiled and tried to stay in Sammy's line of vision, "Hey there little brother, how ya feeling?"

"Like I just got hit by my big brother after acting like a baby, why, did I do anything else that I don't remember?" Sam asked, trying not to sound pouty, but he was really having a bad day. It was bad enough to find out that his dad was lurking around, but then he had a full blown panic attack in the bathroom and knocked himself out, only to come to and have absolutely nothing make sense except the irrational need to get away.

"Nah, you pretty much covered the gambit of emotions today kiddo. Panic attack with concussion? So not a good combo. Feel up to talking about it?" Dean asked, hoping that maybe if they could keep Sammy talking they would be able to tell if he was really feeling better or if he was just bluffing.

Sam thought about it then looked around. When he saw Vic watching him he groaned. "Can we chalk it up to a really bad day?" he asked, hoping the answer would be yes, but knew instinctively it wouldn't.

Celia sat on the couch next to him, "Sam, this is the second concussion in too short of period of time. Combine that with the spike in your blood pressure and your confusion, I have a choice to make. Either take you into the hospital for overnight evalution to make sure you don't have any other complications, or …" she said holding up her hand before he could continue to protest. "or I camp out here on the couch tonight and check you every couple of hours with the agreement that if I don't like what I see, there's no arguing you will go in automatically – even willingly. So, which is it?"

Rolling his eyes, Sam agreed to the second condition, but asked if he could go to the track meet the next day. Smiling, Celia promised to take it into consideration for him to go, but not necessarily to participate, leaving Sam the distinct impression that he had just got outsmarted.

The guys were sitting in the kitchen listening to Celia's concerns and ideas about what happened. "So, that's what we're dealing with. As long as Sam knows that John is closing in, it's likely he's going to have more of these outbursts. The high blood pressure would have been bad enough, but with the concussion, it's just too much for a body to regulate. I'll stay here and monitor him, but I'm serious guys, if I don't like what I see, he's in the hospital and I don't care how many of you I have to go through to do it."

Shocked, Dean spoke up. "Celia, we'll do anything we need to to make sure Sammy's ok. If you want to take him in now, let's go. We'll find a way around Sammy's phobia…"

"Dean, you're not getting it. Sam needs to stay calm for the next couple of days at least. I don't even want him watching a football game if it's going to get him excited. Until he's back on his feet, he's to stay calm, cool, and collected. Got it?" she asked, knowing that whatever was best for their little brother is what they would do, but she didn't think they knew how challenging of a task that was going to be.

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Jim stood there and listened to Dean's tirade about how irresponsible he was giving Sam even a tiny hint that John was snooping around, and he had to wonder how much he had actually missed in not checking in more often. He had known that Dean and his friends had uncovered even more disturbing events in young Sam's past, but hadn't been privy to the exact details, and he couldn't help but wonder if today's incident could have been avoided if the stubborn young man in front of him had shared the information to begin with. Watching Dean pace back and forth in a full blown rant would have amused him to some extent, but Jim could tell that whatever it was that had Sam so terrified wasn't something to make light of. Thinking about it in those terms, he quickly understood that he should have relayed all the information to Dean and allowed him to fill Sam in.

Dean couldn't believe that he was having to have this discussion with Jim of all people. Sure Sammy had been doing better, but what did he think, that all of a sudden he'd have gotten over all the years of abuse as if it was no big deal? Actually, that's the way that Sammy did act, as if it was nothing and that he could carry on with his everyday things as if he hadn't been used as a personal whipping boy. Sighing, he knew that Jim didn't know the whole story, but he wasn't going to break his little brother's confidence either just to bring everyone into 'know'. He had dragged Jim outside in the backyard to try and keep Sammy calm during this little altercation, but now he wanted to be inside to make sure that a certain little brother actually played nice and did as he was told. Ironic how he'd bounce back and forth in wanting Sammy either to show some of the spunk he used to have, or do what he was told mindlessly; he really had to make up his mind, even _he_ was getting confused.

Looking over at Jim, Dean finally told him quite plainly. "If we don't find John, Sammy's either going to be dead or in a straight jacket. So, for God's sake – _find him_!"

Hearing that from Dean was all that Jim needed to confirm his fears; the rumors were true, John had ripped Sam apart in mind, body and soul. Now they needed to find the man responsible if the boy upstairs had any real hope of healing. "Dean, we'll find him. I promise you, we will find him."

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Sam had to wonder what was up with everyone. Stephen looked almost as if he was guarding the door, Taylor had set up one of his video game consoles in the living room so he could stay close to him, Joseph was on the phone with a map spread out in front of him next to Taylor, and Dean was AWOL. The only ones who seemed almost normal were Vic and Celia, but even they were making sure he didn't get off the couch unless it was to go to the bathroom, and _only_ go to the bathroom. He found that out the hard way when he was just going to his room to get his Walkman so he could finish The Two Towers while he tried to work on his self portrait for art class, unfortunately his sitting up had more than one person pushing him back down, Vic running to get the things he needed and Celia taking his blood pressure in both arms as well as one of his legs. He had no idea what was going on, but at the moment he was thinking of sneaking a sleeping pill so he could wake up later back in his own dimension and not someplace that Gene Rodenberry had to have thought up. Seeing the door open would have brought him some form of relief, except he saw who came walking in and he really didn't want to deal with her at the moment.

Jenna knew she was probably the last person that Sam wanted to see, but she needed to talk to him and she was going to. Unfortunately she wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her when Stephen showed her in only under the agreement that she be nice and not upset Sam. She had no idea what happened, but he looked awful. She wanted to run over and sit next to him, but she also knew that he still hadn't forgiven her for her tantrum last week, and who knew that Sam could hold a grudge? Now though as she stood halfway between the door and the couch, she wondered if she should just run back out the door. Sam's complexion didn't look good, he had a goose egg on the side of his head that looked like it could turn all sort of wonderful colors by the time it was done, they Musketeers looked like they were in total defense mode, while Celia had her bag no further than arms length, but the most disturbing sight was that Sam looked like a caged animal that had the ability to pace in its cage stripped away; it was a look that she hoped she would never have to see again.

"What's going on Jenna?" Vic asked, noting that the tension between the other two was so thick that a lazar would probably be needed to cut through it. When Jenna didn't reply he waved his hand in front of her face and repeated the question.

Realizing she was staring, Jenna blushed and looked away quickly. "Sorry, uh, Sam, can we talk?" she asked, wondering what was going on that everyone in the room suddenly looking at her as if she was the enemy.

Sam looked around and wasn't sure if he felt flattered or disturbed that everyone was acting as weird as they were. "Don't worry about them, they're just worried that I'll knock myself out again. You're a klutz on the track; apparently I'm a klutz in the house." Sam said while he rolled his eyes at the guys when they gave him a reproachful glance.

Jenna was just about to question him further when Dean rushed in and asked the Musketeers to join him outside. Watching the guys rush out the door gave Sam a very uneasy feeling, one that made him think that his life had just got a lot tougher.

Dean watched as the guys filed out of the building and walk over to him, then pause when they saw what had caught his attention. Sammy's track uniform was staked to the tree in the front yard; soaked in blood, with bullet and knife holes in it. Knowing that whoever had done it had to have been there recently, the guys fanned out and were about to search through the neighborhood when they spotted a big black truck driving around the corner out of sight.


	41. Chapter 41

AN: Hey everyone, I want to thank you all for taking the time in reading this story, it means a lot! To Sammygirl1963 and Ephiny: Thanks for keeping me sane through everything!

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Jim wasn't sure what to think when he first saw the track uniform tacked to the tree, and it took the amount of time for Dean to get his friends and come back before he understood fully what it was that he saw. After full understanding took hold, he started to get angry; how dare someone do this to Sam after everything that he had already been through? Now though, seeing the black truck turn the corner he saw the truth, John was back and he had managed to get too close to the boy upstairs. It was time to do something that he and the others were trying to avoid; it was time for the hunter to become the hunted.

Seeing John's truck disappear made Dean feel as if his stomach dropped a foot. Now though, after the initial shock wore off, the anger that he had pushed off to the side came back full force. Looking at Jim he saw something flicker across the man's face and wondered about it. "Ok Jim, what's going on?" he asked, seeing that the rest of the guys had noticed it too and had come closer.

"As you know when we were looking for your dad and Sam we had everyone looking, but maybe I should be more precise; everyone was looking, no one was hunting. It's time to bring in those who are willing to hunt him down…"

"Wait… you're telling me that all the times that you told me that you had everyone doing whatever needed to be done, you were just… what… being nice? What the hell Jim? Do you have any idea what he went through, and you and your buddies just sat back and said 'We'll get back to him later after we deal with this Banshee'? You know what… get out! Take your crap and go, and you make sure to tell all your buddies that if I see them, I'll kill them!"

Jim knew that he deserved Dean's anger, and from what he could tell the anger from Dean's friends as well, but he wanted to make things right. He and every other hunter that had been looking for Sam knew that they had dropped the ball… repeatedly, that went without saying. What he was really hoping for though was a chance to make amends. Maybe one day soon, everyone will have cooled off enough and they can put their heads together and find out how to stop John from implementing his plan. Until then, he'll have to be happy with being allowed to leave the property unharmed, and get the call out to everyone that from now on in the hunting community; John Winchester is enemy number one.

As they watched the priest leave, the Musketeers couldn't let go of what they heard. All the times that they had been led to believe that everything was being done to find Sammy, and now they find out that it was a half scaled effort at best. They all thought about how different life could have been for their little bro if only they had gotten to him sooner, and now they had to clean up another mess left by the priest.

Joseph carefully took down the uniform and put it in the trash can, making sure that no one could see it if someone came after them. Not knowing what else to do, they went back upstairs to see if Celia had any luck at all in keeping Sammy occupied. It wasn't until they walked in the door that they remembered Jenna had stopped by, and they weren't sure what she was up to yet.

Jenna had wanted to talk to Sam, and had asked to be able to do just that. She wasn't expecting them to have company during the whole conversation, or that Sam would allow their conversation to become public knowledge. Not seeing much of a choice, she dove into the topic she wanted to discuss. "Sam, I know that I shouldn't have said those things, and attacking the Musketeers was just uncalled for, I hope you'll forgive me for the things I said." She told him while watching his reaction. When he continued to look at her but not say anything, she started to think that she made a mistake in coming over.

Sam wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, he was never really good at dealing with people especially if it had to do with his issues. Now though, Jenna was asking him to talk to her about something that they had spent the whole past week avoiding all together. If she had kept her attack on him he would have been fine, but she had gone after his brothers and that was something that he couldn't allow; they were too good for that. Not sure exactly what to say, he watched her for another moment before saying, "You said some awful things about my brothers Jenna, I don't know what to do with that."

Vic was sitting close in case he was needed and he was wondering if he should go get the brothers just in case, everything he was seeing was screaming towards the uncomfortable. He had known Jenna for years, and had always known her to be a hothead but never to the point of being vicious. What she had said about Sam's condition before she found out who actually had it was completely out of character which made Vic truly believe that she said it out of fear, not hate. However, the pain that she caused Sam was something that he didn't think _he_ could forgive, especially after the things that he'd been able to piece together the last several hours.

Staring at each other, Jenna and Sam weren't sure where things should go next, but the silence wasn't helping. The heard the door open and they both knew that the Musketeers were back, giving Jenna the opportunity to finish what she had to say. Turning to Dean she spoke honestly, "Dean, I'm truly sorry for what I said. I don't think of you that way, but the thought of losing anyone else I care about makes me more than a little crazy. I hope all of you can forgive me."

Standing there they could only look between Jenna and their Sammy and try to figure out what was going on. Since no one was giving anyone any clues, they all nodded their agreement to put it all behind them getting a surprise when she launched at them for a hug before heading towards the door.

"Jenna!" Sam called out, "What's your hurry? They've got me prisoner on the couch for the night, want to keep me company?"

Smiling, Jenna rushed over and settled herself snuggly at Sam's side. She had no idea what was going on, but if she had anything to say about it, she wasn't going anywhere.

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Jim had been making calls ever since he left the apartment, and it wasn't taking near as long as he expected to get the word out. The main consensus had been 'what took everyone so damn long', making him feel worse. He knew that the main reason no one ever took it to this next level was because of him and his friendship with John. Now though, with everything ripped to shreds, he didn't have a choice; it was either protect Sam or protect John, and he'd protected the hunter long enough.

Caleb insisted on flying in to make sure that Sam was alright, saying that he would handle Dean when the time came. Bobby was in the middle of no where and would take a couple of days but would join them as soon as he could. Joshua had volunteered to spearhead the operation, making sure that there was no confusion in who was where, and where everyone needed to be.

Taking a chance, he called a motel that seemed like someplace that John would go. After speaking with the manager he was informed that a man meeting the general description had been there a couple of nights previous, but had started a fight so they kicked him out. That left Jim with one place that John had been, and thousands of places that he could be now. Taking the map in hand, he started to dig deeper into the places they knew he had been sighted, and hoped that this time they could get to him before he got to Sam.

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Dean wasn't sure what he expected, but sudden cuteness wasn't it. Then again, after the crap that his little brother had already been through he was allowed some cute moments. So as he stood there watching Jenna snuggle close to Sammy, his mind wandered to what he and the others found out earlier, making him even angrier that his little brother couldn't have had more of these moments in his life. Motioning for the others to follow, he walked into the back part of the apartment so no one could hear them. "Joseph, is there anything that Celia's not telling us?"

Joseph knew that the question would come up, but he'd been hoping for a little more time. He'd been trained as a medic and took his job seriously, but there were some days that he wished he didn't have the knowledge he did. "Honestly Dean, I'm not sure. I know she'd worried, more than normal. It could just be the HIV and the meds that are making her more uneasy, it's a real balancing act keeping everything in line, medicine interactions can really take a toll on a person, especially when you add injuries to it. I'm hoping that it's just precaution and not something else that has her worried."

Looking around, Dean knew that the others were thinking the same thing, Sammy needed a break. "Alright, we'll let Celia handle Sammy's medical needs, but we need to find a way to keep him safe. He's not going to stay on that couch forever, I give him another hour max before he starts asking why we're acting weird, and we need to figure out what to tell him."

"How about the truth? The hunter's are the ones who messed up, and he paid the price for it. We won't make the same mistakes they did, but he's going to have to trust us, even if it means doing things he doesn't want to do." Stephen said quietly. He knew that Sammy had been enjoying his new found freedom, and he hated having to take it away from the kid, but something had to be done.

Taylor had been worried about a few things himself and this just brought everything together. "Guys, I hate to bring this up, but Sammy's in school and doing everything that we've already asked of him. We can't just keep asking him to do one thing, then change our mind mid-stream… that sounds too much like what John did to him. We wanted him to stay in school, not get in trouble, try out for track. He's not only stayed in school, but has had to deal with crap while there, he's on his way to regional's for track, and he has gone out of his way to avoid trouble. We can't just suddenly tell him that the rules have changed – again!"

They all agreed that it was an unfair situation, but there was no way that they could allow Sammy to get upset over it. The question now though was, which would upset him more: full disclosure, or not having a clue to why his brothers suddenly tightened the reins?

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Jenna was concerned. She watched as Celia took Sam's blood pressure but didn't say why, or even what it was. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that everyone was acting weird. Settling back on the couch with Sam, she took a chance. "Sam? What's going on?"

Sam had almost started to drift off when Jenna's question came to him and pulled him back to the here and now. Knowing what she meant, but not knowing everything himself made it a little difficult to answer, so he answered the best he could. "I freaked out earlier, hit my head and knocked myself out. Celia gave me a choice, stay still here at home or go to the hospital for the night. Needless to say, I chose home. As for the rest of what's going on… I have no idea, I figure that when the guys are ready to fill me in, they will."

Not knowing what to do with that information, Jenna looked over to Celia and met her glance, seeing that there was indeed something else going on; something that could very well frighten her if she knew. Taking a chance to look behind them, she saw Vic, her best friend for years, and saw in his eyes a truth that couldn't be denied; something was wrong, and it had to do with Sam. Rubbing her hand on his chest, she hoped that whatever it was that had everyone so upset would go away soon. She missed her Sam, she missed his smile, his gentleness, even his fierce protectiveness towards her; she wanted her time with him back, to make amends for the awful thing she had done to him.

As the Musketeers walked back into the room, they took a moment to take in the scene before them. Sammy was lying on the couch following doctors orders with Jenna next to him, Vic close by making sure that nothing disturbed them unless necessary, and Celia watching it all with a worried look on her face, something wasn't meshing and they could tell that she was close to taking little bro in.

"Celia, we need to talk to Sammy, and before you say anything, if he finds out any other way it'll just make it worse." Dean said, knowing that this was the right thing to do. Sammy had trusted them to take care of him, now it was time to reward that trust with the same. "Sammy, we need to talk about some things that happened before. Do you want Vic and Jenna to stay or to go?"

Sam had no idea what was going on, but he knew that if his brother was leaving it up to him then it was something that he was going to have to be comfortable with. "Uh… what exactly are we talking about?" he asked, not sure he really wanted to know the answer, but also knowing that was the only way he'd know how to respond.

Sighing, Dean knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but he was hoping that maybe Sammy had already filled in his friends at least a little bit. Hearing the question told him what he needed to know. "Alright, how's this… Vic, you and Jenna can go in the back, I'm sure you guys can find something to amuse yourselves until we're done." Seeing their hesitation he clarified it for them. "Either go in the back and occupy yourselves, or leave. This is not up for discussion." Watching the two teens rush towards the back of the apartment, Dean was sure that Sammy was going to get upset, but when he looked back, all he saw was curiosity. "Sammy, we found out something that we think you should know, and to be honest, we're not sure how you're going to handle it. So, if you start to feel ill, or anything out of the ordinary, you need to let us know… ok?"

"Dean, if you hadn't scared me before, you sure are doing a great job of it now. What's going on, and where's Jim?" Sam asked, suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen the family friend walk back in with them.

"Sammy, John was close a little while ago. Jim says that he's going to get everyone on full hunt mode to track him down, but…"

"But you're wondering why they didn't do that before." Sam interrupted, knowing that his brother was having a tough time finishing his thought. Shrugging his shoulder he responded, "I never thought of myself as a top priority, Dean. Actually, that's not true; I didn't even know anyone was looking. The last I knew, Dad and Jim had some sort of falling out and most of the hunters we did run into seemed to be new or to crazy to care who we were. Any others that Dad had known before he'd make sure we were gone before they had much of a chance to ask questions."

Dean didn't like what he was hearing, but then again, that wasn't new. His brother had been shuffled around without any consideration, and he really believed that people had just given up on him. It didn't help that he wondered how John reacted to the news that Sammy contracted a deadly disease, with everything he'd already learned, he could only imagine that it hadn't been good. Looking over at Celia he tried to gauge her reaction, but she was avoiding him at the moment which had all the warning bells going off in his head. "Sammy when do you last remember seeing your track uniform?" he asked, trying to get some timeline as to how long John has really been lurking around.

Sam thought about it, then answered confidently, "Tuesday morning. It was before my locker got spray painted the first time, then when I went back for it, it was gone. I talked to Coach about it and he said that he'd make sure that I had a new uniform for the meet this weekend."

Stephen and Taylor looked at each other and frowned, John had to have been the one behind the initial attacks at the school. They had no doubt that the kids had taken it from there, but the fact still remained; the crazy bastard had been way too close to little bro, and it wasn't going to happen again.


	42. Chapter 42

Dean wasn't sure how to break the news to his brother in a way that wouldn't have him passing out again, but he also knew that they couldn't keep him in the dark either. "Sammy, we think that it was John who started the crap at your school. We know he took your uniform, and when he was here he left it in a way that left no question about what he intends to do when he gets the chance."

Sam listened to Dean, and knew that he was safe with his brothers, but there was something else that bothered him. "Did you actually see Dad?" he asked trying to make sense of his thoughts, even though his head felt like it was splitting open.

Puzzled, Dean looked at the others first before answering, "Uh, we saw that black truck that he was last seen in. Why?"

Rubbing his temples, Sam knew that he was running out of time before he wouldn't be able to make sense at all, when he had a migraine it could easily knock him for a loop for a couple of days. "Dad's too good to be seen unless he wants you to know he's here."

Celia was noticing the change in Sam and grabbed the cuff to take his blood pressure again. She knew that she wasn't being subtle, but there was something wrong, Sam shouldn't be having this much trouble. "Sam, how are you feeling?" she asked as she saw his latest reading, making her wonder what was going on.

"Migraine… hurts." Sam groaned out, feeling as if his head was being pried apart by some big guy with really huge hands.

Looking over her shoulder Celia said the words that the brothers had been dreading. "We need to go!"

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It had been two hours fourteen minutes and thirty-two seconds since they had burst through the ER doors with Sammy in their arms and Celia yelling out orders. Two hours fourteen minutes and fifteen seconds since the last time they saw Sammy before he was rushed behind the double doors out of sight and away from them. Now as they continued to wait, the tension in the waiting room was getting to the point where the nurses and orderlies had spread the word not to go in there for any reason unless it was to share news for a Sam Winchester – no exceptions!

Jenna was scared out of her mind, and the only thing keeping her from screaming was knowing that if Sam heard her he would be more concerned about her than for himself. Watching the Musketeers pace and growl wasn't as worrisome as knowing that one minute Sam was talking to his brothers and the next it was as if everything went horribly wrong. She had rode with Vic and they had a tough time keeping up with the Suburban as they raced down the street to the hospital. The last she saw of Sam, he was unconscious and Celia was calling for intubation as she ran by his side trying to keep him with them. She had no idea what had happened, but she knew that she couldn't lose him.

The more the Musketeers tried to stay patient, the more agitated they seemed to become. Each one locked in their own memory of what happened, and none able to find a solution of how it came about. Hearing rushed footsteps; they all looked towards the hallway to see Celia making her way towards them.

Seeing their distressed faces, she knew that she needed to get to the point, and it wasn't going to be pretty. "We have him stabilized, but he's on a respirator for the time being. He's still unconscious, and for now that's a good thing, he needs to rest to fight this. Guys, we have a major problem and I need your help to find out how it happened. Something came back during the blood work, and the lab is saying that it's a toxin of some sort, possibly plant based. It's going to take time to isolate it, but it would be quicker if we could figure out where it came from in hopes of getting a sample to analyze. We've already sent a sample to a crime lab in hopes that they might have come across something along these lines."

Dean felt his knees go soft and if it wasn't for the chair right behind him he would have hit the floor. His baby brother had been poisoned, and they all had been clueless about it. "How could this happen? He's anal about what he eats, just for this reason. The only thing that he doesn't have a problem with is the bottled water because it's already sealed and his meds because they're individually…" Dean stopped for a moment before looking at the others. "Oh my God! We convinced him to switch!"

Taylor groaned at the implications, not only of Sammy's medicine bottles being tampered with, but that someone had got into the apartment to do it. "Damn it! I swear I'm never going to question the kid's oddities again! Celia, I'll run to the apartment and bring all his prescription bottles, it's the only thing that makes sense."

The guys watched Taylor rush out the door and they had to agree with him, no one would be able to tell if the bottles had been tampered with, that was why he had used the sample packs for so long. They had been so determined to wean Sammy off his compulsive tendencies when it came to sealed items, that they had totally forgotten _why_ he had put those protections up in his psyche to begin with.

"Can we go in and see him now?" Dean asked, hoping that the answer was 'yes' because he really didn't think he could handle too much longer without seeing his little brother.

Celia could see how the strain of being away from Sam this long was affecting the guys, and she sympathized wholeheartedly. "They'll have him in a room in a little while. I ordered an MRI to make sure that he doesn't have any cranial swelling after his fall, the last thing he needs right now is to have that complication and we not catch it until later. Give me twenty minutes and I'll take you to him myself." She promised and gave Dean a pat on the arm before she walked back down the hallway.

Twenty minutes later found the guys watching the hallway for Celia's return, but seeing Taylor running up to them instead. "I got all the bottles from the medicine cabinet. Where's Celia so I can give these to her?"

"Alright, Sam's in a room and I'll take you to him." Celia started, then stopped when she saw Taylor. "You got all of them? Great! Give me a few minutes to get these into the lab and I'll be right back." She said as she took the small bag of bottles from Taylor and ran down the hallway leaving everyone hoping that they could find an answer in time.

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No one had been prepared for what they saw upon walking into Sammy's room. He lay still with IV's and monitors hooked to him, with an intubation tube inserted but not connected to keep his airway open. Celia had told them what to expect, but they hadn't believed that it could be this bad. Their little bro had been talking to them three hours ago, giving them an idea of what was going on in John's head, and now he lay unconscious with machines monitoring every vital sign.

Stephen couldn't believe that even with all of them there, they hadn't been able to stop something so horrendous to him. He made a promise to himself that as soon as Sammy was better, he would hunt down John Winchester himself and make him pay for hurting the kid that had become such a part of his heart.

Taylor felt ill; he knew that this had to be a bad dream because that was the only thing that made sense. Mystery illnesses only happened in the movies or massive terrorist plots, not to a kid like Sammy who's only wrong was having a lunatic for a father. He restrained himself from pinching his arm, because no matter how much he wanted it to be a nightmare, he knew that this was real life, and their Sammy was fighting hard. His only hope was that the military hospital was able to find out what was going on and find a solution – soon!

Dean knew that Celia was bending the rules allowing all of them in at once, and for that he was grateful. Not only did Sammy need to know that he was loved by everyone there, but he also needed their brothers close, because without them to help him through this, he would fall apart. "Hey Sammy, you know if you needed to get out of the apartment, all you had to do was say so, you don't have to go to the extreme." He joked, hoping… praying… that he would see his brother's green eyes flicker in annoyance. Looking over he saw Joseph's expression and knew that he blamed himself for some reason, but he had no idea what to say to make him feel better. It wasn't Joseph's fault that Sammy was flat on his back in bed, he'd make him see that, he just needed to find the words and that might take some time.

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Celia held in her hands good news and bad news, and she knew that what she had to tell the guys could devastate them. They knew that Sam had developed an infection already, and that he was fighting it with as much strength as he had left. That was part of what she needed to discuss with the Musketeers, they needed to do something different soon, or they risked loosing Sam. Walking into the room, she wasn't surprised to see all the Musketeers along with Jenna and Vic; she knew that as much as this was going to hurt, it was better that everyone was there to hear it.

"They isolated the toxin. It was Foxglove which is basically a plant that causes heart stimulation; it's actually used in modern medicine. The good news is, it should be almost completely out of his blood stream soon and the consensus is to let nature take it's course since he's almost over that hurtle."

"That's great Celia, but why hasn't he woke up yet? We know he has fever, and his breathing is labored, so I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that your news is good, but not helping." Dean was tired; he and the others had been there for the remainder of the day and into the night waiting for the results and to see their little brother wake up.

Looking at all the people in the room, she couldn't think of an easy way to say it. "Sammy's showing signs of pneumonia already. Dean, his battle with the toxin has already taxed his immune system; we need to put him in a clean room to help keep him from failing further."

Jenna was confused and didn't mind showing it. "I thought that he was doing well with his medicine, how has he gone from good to bad in so short of time?"

"Between the tampered medicine not being as effective, the additional stress of the situation, and the beating his immune system was already taking from the toxin, I'd be more surprised if he was doing better." Celia said calmly, but inside she was shaking. She loved Sam just like her little brothers and she couldn't help but feel like she was letting him down by not having a cure all for him.

"So, all we have to do is put him in a clean room? That's it?" Dean asked, not taking his eyes off his little brother.

"Well, anyone who visits will have to be in special gear. It's not HAZMAT suits, but it's for the critically ill and even burn patients so they don't get contaminated with everyone else's germs, keeping the risk of infection low."

Knowing that it was the best thing for their Sammy, they all unanimously agreed to do whatever they needed to do to help him get better.

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It took a little while to get Sam in his new room and hooked up to everything properly. Taking into consideration that they were looking at pneumonia along with any number of other complications, Celia had decided to hook up the ventilator to help his lungs fight the infection. After being given a crash course in the new procedures, the Musketeers knew they were ready to see their little bro even though they could go in only one at a time, and only in short increments.

Dean scrubbed himself like Celia instructed, and allowed a nurse to help him with his new protective wear complete with shoe coverings, pants, gown, gloves, mask, and hair bonnet. Feeling like he was dressed in plastic, and knowing that he looked the part as well, he allowed himself to be guided into the airlock that was one step away from Sammy. Celia had already warned him about the ventilator and how it was only on assist mode, but it still didn't set well with him. He could only hope that his brother beat this soon so they all could get him home and take care of him the way he deserved.

Pulling a chair to Sammy's right side, Dean was determined to make them drag him out of there, he'd spent enough time away from his little brother as it was, and he wasn't going to waste anymore. Wanting to get a reaction from Sammy, Dean started talking about anything that popped into his head even reminding him of the time that Sammy had fallen out a window because he thought that if birds could fly then so could he. After ten minutes of constant chatter, Dean noticed a slight flutter of his little brother's eyelids.

"Sammy?" he asked, wondering if it was only wishful thinking that had him seeing things. After another moment he saw it again, causing his heart to stop until he saw Sammy's eyes crack open. "Hey there little brother, it's about time you joined us again."

Looking around, Sam was trying to figure out where he was. He could tell he was in a room with a bunch of equipment, and by the type he could tell he was in a hospital, but he'd never seen a room like this before. He heard Dean talking to him, but was shocked when he saw his brother. He was dressed in clothing that they used for isolation patients, and he wasn't sure what to make of that at first, and then a thought occurred to him and he felt like his world shattered around him.

Dean knew that Sammy was looking around and that was good, that meant that he was really aware of his surroundings, but it wasn't until Sammy looked at him and saw what he was wearing that he thought that something could be wrong. Getting a good look at Sammy's face and seeing what was behind his eyes made everything fall into place for Dean and he was horrified that his little brother would think that. "No no no no no Sammy, hey, hey… look at me. It's not what you think. Celia says this is for YOU, to keep YOU safe from US… hey, look at me, your immune system is shot, it can't take anymore. Sammy… come on Sammy, look at me…."

Sam couldn't take the lying anymore and turned his head away closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. If he was lucky, he wouldn't wake up, he didn't think he could bear to see the look of disgust on his brothers faces if he lived through this.

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AN: Let me know what you think! 


	43. Chapter 43

AN: hey there... hope you like this chapter... don't forget to let me know!

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Dean had been told that his time was up and that he or one of the others could come back in after a half hour. Not wanting to leave, but needing to talk to Celia, he grudgingly agreed and after whispering to Sammy that he would be close and not to give up, he sought out the family doctor and dropped a new bomb on everyone in the vicinity.

"He thinks we're worried about getting his HIV, he's not even looking at me!" he said, wanting more than anything to be able to make everything right again, but knowing that right now he was completely out of his element.

Celia heard what Dean said, and had to admit to herself that that was one thing she had been dreading, that if Sam woke up in the clean room he would misconstrue their efforts. Sighing, she nodded and went to talk to him herself, hoping that maybe she could explain in a way that left no doubt that he wasn't being punished but was actually cherished.

After hearing Dean's words, the Musketeers couldn't help but feel devastated with what was going on. They had all thought they had made it clear that their main concern was Sammy, that his illness didn't matter to them except on how it affected him. More determined than ever, they formed a plan to make sure that he wasn't alone while he was in the hospital, knowing that afterwards they'd have to deal with the independent Sammy once again. Now all they had to do was get Celia on board with someone being with him around the clock.

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Celia knew that Sam was in a dark place at the moment, she'd seen several of her patients fall into a depression after finding out about their illness, or even soon after their first setback. Now however it felt very different, Sam wasn't just any patient, and she knew that if they couldn't pull him out of his thoughts soon, he wouldn't have the will to fight much longer.

Walking into the clean room, she saw that Sam was once again asleep, and although she knew it was helping him heal, she couldn't help but worry that the longer it took to clear up the misunderstanding, the longer it was going to take to convince him otherwise. Checking his vitals, she saw that he was stable which gave her hope that they could beat this quicker than initially thought.

"Sam? Sam, I need to talk to you." She started, hoping that she would get a positive reaction, when his eyes fluttered open however her heart broke. Celia could tell that Sam had given up, and was only going through the motions for whatever reason, and it scared her more than she wanted to admit. "Hey Sam, I need to talk to you about your results, ok? At the moment you're fighting off a toxin that, to be completely honest, has taxed your immune system as far as it can and now you have a bad case of pneumonia. It was _my_ decision to put you in here so you won't get infected with anything else until you've gotten stronger and better able to fight. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she asked, watching and waiting until she got a response, but not one that she was expecting.

Sam rolled his eyes; he couldn't believe that Celia was now in on everything. He had always thought that she at least would be honest with him, but then again, he'd been wrong before. He wondered how he could have believed everyone really cared; then again he wondered how he couldn't. Knowing he was sick, he was trying hard not to pass judgment, but it was hard knowing what he knew. His brother left him once, and it was just a matter of time before he did it again, not to mention that his Dad wanted him to bring his Mom back and then his purpose would be completed and he wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore.

"Sam, I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Dean is chomping at the bit to get back in here with you, and I have no doubt that he's going to have to fight the others for their chance. They love you Sam, and no matter what you're thinking the precautions we're taking are to protect _you_ from any other germs. Alright?" She watched as he pondered what she told him, and she knew that he wasn't convinced, but he wasn't completely shutting everything out anymore either. All in all, she was taking it as a small victory. "Ok, I'm going to go now so one of the others can come in for awhile. Rest, and I'll let you know how you're doing every couple of hours or so." She said with a smile, hoping that he would be able to sleep for awhile and let his body heal.

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Dean was pacing in front of everyone and even though they all understood, they also wished he would stop. "I knew this would happen, we never really talked about it, and now he thinks that we're scared of him. Can you believe that? Us scared of him? Jeez, he still takes in stray kittens when he gets the chance." Dean muttered as he continued his path.

Stephen knew what Dean meant; Sammy was one of the sweetest people he knew. Sure he could kick ass when he needed to, but that was only if there was no other way around it. Smiling, he remembered the day at the basketball court and how little bro took care of business. "Dean, we'll get through to him. We just need to give him a little time to get reoriented, alright?" he asked, hoping that Dean would calm down before they had two brothers flat on their back in a hospital bed.

Nodding, Dean knew that Stephen was right, it was the fever that was making Sammy jump to conclusions. His little brother was always the one who loved to sit down and do intricate puzzles for hours, read books well beyond his age level, and once got into an argument with a priest in Latin over the difference between demons and possessed people, so it always frustrated the kid when he got hit with a cold because he couldn't even add two and two together all because of the stupid fever that usually accompanied it.

Hearing a door open, they all turned and watched Celia emerge with a tired smile on her face. "Well, he's not trying to pull out his tube or IV lines, and he actually listened to what I said, so I'm thinking progress. I don't like the idea of him getting worn out, but I can also tell that if something's not done soon to help bring him out of his depression, he's not going to get any better."

Before anyone had a chance to say anything Joseph stepped forward, "We're going to take turns being in there, and he's not going to be alone for more that a few minutes at a time, if you don't like it then too damn bad!"

Shocked, Celia looked around and noticed that the others weren't expecting that from him either. "Joseph, it's not that I don't like it, in fact I think it's a great idea as long as you can get him to rest. He's on edge and feels really alone right now."

"He wouldn't feel alone if we were in there instead of out here wasting our time wishing we had taken better care of him! Do you have any idea how close we really got to losing him? Does anyone realize that the only way his meds could have been tampered with is if John got in the damn apartment and we didn't know it? What else has he done?" Joseph yelled not caring if he was disturbing other patients, he was pissed off and scared.

It wasn't that they hadn't thought about it, more like it had skimmed the surface of their thoughts and didn't stick around for long. Now though, after Joseph's abrupt reminder, they all felt a new type of fear and there was only one thing to do.

Taylor pulled out his phone and called a friend to meet him at the apartment, Jenna called her dad to let him know what was going on, and Stephen made a call to a few buddies who owed them some favors and got them to agree to guard duty. Once everyone was a little more sure about the security of their little brother, they quickly agreed that Joseph could go in first so Dean and Stephen could talk to the guys that were heading over, and Taylor could meet with his friends to do a complete sweep of the apartment. Jenna knew that Vic would stay with her, and that he dad was on his way, she just wished he would hurry; she had a bad feeling about all of this.

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Joseph quietly stepped into the clean room and watched Sammy breathe; it's all he could manage. He felt responsible mainly because he was the one who convinced everyone that it made the most sense for the meds to be in the bottles so they could monitor them easier instead of Sammy carrying the sample packs with him. Now though, as he watched as the littlest brother of their group struggled to stay alive, he saw that in his haste to push Sammy to trust that they knew what was best, he had inadvertently proven the opposite.

Seeing Sammy watching him, he tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace and he knew that he wasn't helping much. "Hey bro, how's it going? Any hot nurses I need to check out?" he asked, hoping that he didn't actually sound like someone was strangling him.

Sam watched Joseph and had to wonder about what was going on. It would be better if he could actually _ask_, but with a tube down his throat, it was kind of hard. Instead he watched the other man make his way to him and he shook his head slightly in response. Motioning to Joseph to sit down he silently watched as he continued to stand looking at him.

"Sammy, I'm so sorry. This whole fiasco is my fault, I pushed you into something that you weren't ready for and now it's bitten us all in the ass." Joseph said sincerely, hoping that one day Sammy could forgive him. He was surprised when he saw his little brother hold out his hand, reaching for him. Going over and taking the kid's hand, he looked towards Sammy and gave him a questioning look. It took him a moment to realize that Sammy was squeezing his hand, not letting go. Taking that as an encouraging sign, Joseph smiled, "Alright, here's the deal. You get better, we watch over your ass a whole lot better than what we have, and we deal with John _together_. Alright?" he asked and waited for Sammy to think about it and then give his agreement. "Now then, in case you haven't figured it out… you mean more to us than just an additional room mate, or Dean's little brother. You're family, and this illness that you have doesn't make you _less_, in fact it makes you a stronger person than most, and I have to admit that I admire your strength for taking care of yourself this long. But that's the thing, you aren't alone anymore, you have us, and you're not getting rid of us that easily. Understand?"

Listening to Joseph made him wonder if he was in the middle of some sort of drug induced delusion, but then he thought that if he was then he wouldn't mind staying here for awhile longer. He felt a tear slide down his cheek and he was embarrassed when Joseph wiped it away and told him that everything would be alright now, that his brothers had his back, to go to sleep and get well. He felt embarrassed, but felt compelled to listen to his brother, real or not, and let oblivion take over for now.


	44. Chapter 44

It had been two days since Sammy had been put in the clean room, and it had been two days since Dean felt as if he had stopped breathing. It had been hard enough not being able to brush his little brother's hair out of his eyes without the protective barriers, but to have to schedule time to sit with him in hopes that he wasn't asleep was devastating. He couldn't hold it against the guys because he knew that they loved Sammy too, it was just that he had spent too much time away from his brother as it was, and sharing when time was a rare commodity didn't set well with him.

Looking at his coffee cup, he knew that he needed a refill, but there was no way he was going to the cafeteria at the moment. Stephen was due out, and then he could go in after Celia checked on Sammy. He was thankful that the guys were camped out with him, if for no other reason than how they held him back when Caleb walked through the doors trying to explain their side of things. Now as he watched the clock and paced the floor he knew that he'd be lost without his brothers, they had held him together for so long, even when he had his own moments of doubt.

"Hey bro, he's still sleeping, but it looks like his vitals are rising." Stephen said as he joined Dean in the hallway. He knew that they needed Sammy better soon, there was too much that could go wrong the longer he stayed in the hospital, but he also knew that they couldn't rush it, otherwise they might not get so lucky next time.

Dean smiled at Stephen; he knew that Sammy could do it, even when another doctor had coldly stated that 'as close to death's door as he is, it may be better to allow him to rest.' Needless to say that particular _quack_ was no longer allowed anywhere near their little brother. "That's great news! I take it your girlfriend's in there now?" he asked, knowing that both Stephen and Celia had been taking a few minutes when able to get closer.

"Ah, c'mon man… not this again. We're just friends, and if it turns into something later then fine. Right now though, there's just too much going on."

Smirking, Dean nodded, "Friends, right… that's cool… so, when you two decide to get hitched who's your best man?" he asked, knowing that it was annoying his brother. "Come on… you know I'd look great in the wedding photos."

While waiting for Celia to come out, Dean continued to badger Stephen until the older man blurted, "Sammy! All right? Sammy's going to be my best man, and Jenna's going to be a Maid of Honor, and damnit man… you kind of ruined the surprise. Now I'm going to cry… NOT!!! Get a life Winchester!" Stephen joked then laughed at Dean's face, noting the shocked look and then the sheepish grin.

"Guess I deserved that, huh?"

"Only a little, but man, don't worry. IF we ever decide to get married, all of my brothers are going to be there and included – that goes double for Sammy." Stephen said as he looked towards the door that led to their little brother, wishing that they all were home kicking back fighting for the remote instead of waiting to here how he was doing.

As the door opened and Celia walked out, she knew that she was going to have to contend with everyone's questions. The Musketeer's hadn't left the hospital since Sam had been admitted, and Jenna and Vic had made sure they were as much as they could. Looking around she knew right away that Taylor and Joseph were on another coffee and munchy run, so she had to decide to either repeat herself or wait; seeing the looks she was getting, she was going to be repeating herself.

"Ok, he's improving. He's still sleeping, and I want him to continue doing that as much as possible. The vent isn't having to assist him as much, and I'm hoping that we can take him off of it completely in a couple more days. I'm not going to lie to you, he's still in a fragile state, but if he continues to improve, then we can start thinking about putting him in a regular room late tomorrow."

Dean heard what she said, and he knew what it meant – Sammy was getting better, he was fighting and winning. He and Stephen both smiled widely at the news knowing that this was going to make everyone happy, especially Sammy!

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Jenna had been distracted all day, and it was no secret why. As soon as she walked into school that morning the rumors were flying about why Sam wasn't there, not that anyone really cared, they just wanted someone to talk about. It wasn't until she actually ran head on into a person that she really understood that her head wasn't where it should be.

"Oh! Mr. Langston, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." She apologized to the new janitor. Even though he'd been there only a couple of weeks, and hadn't gotten a chance to meet all the students, he had been such a help lately with cleaning and repairing Sam's locker whenever it was vandalized and she couldn't help but like him for it.

"Don't worry about it Ms. Erickson, I take it the rumors flying around are true? Your boyfriend, uh… Stan?... is ill?" the janitor asked kindly watching for other students and teachers walking the halls.

Nodding, Jenna answered, "Sam, and yes, he is. He's in the hospital right now, and they're not sure when he'll get to go home." Looking over at the lockers, she could tell what he had been doing. "Oh no…not again. I'm so glad he's not here to see this. Thank you so much Mr. Langston for taking care of this so quickly. I can't figure out why they won't leave him alone!"

Shaking his head, the man called Mr. Langston by the students and staff only said, "Some people are blind to what's right in front of them."

Watching Jenna race down the hallway, the janitor looked around the hallways and was relieved that no one really noticed the conversation that had just transpired. He'd been able to stay in the shadows and not be noticed much since he's been there, and that's just how he planned it. Hardly anyone knew him, and hardly anyone saw him. Now though, he needed to hurry what he was doing so he could take his lunch and find out which hospital Sam was in.

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Sam was tired, which was ironic considering the amount of time he spent sleeping lately. He'd open his eyes and see one of his brothers sitting there asking him how he was feeling before he'd drift off again. It would have been extremely annoying if he could stay awake long enough to get annoyed. He had no idea how long he had been in the hospital, and had no idea how much longer until he could go home. He just hoped that he could feel better soon because he needed to get back in shape for Regional's that were coming up and the Coach had said he had a shot at winning the Cross Country title.

Not wanting to go back to sleep just yet, he contented himself with looking around the room. He couldn't figure out why anyone would voluntarily stay in such a boring area, and made a mental note to ask the guys when he was home again. He was just starting to drift off while counting the dots on the ceiling tiles when he heard the door open and saw Dean walk through.

Dean stood there stunned for a moment, not able to really accept that his baby brother was awake. After a moment of determining that it wasn't a trick of his tired mind, he smiled brightly. "Sammy! Hey little brother, how are you?" he asked as he made his way to Sammy's side. "Celia says your doing a lot better, and you might actually get out of this room by tomorrow night. Isn't that great?"

Trying to smile while on a ventilator wasn't the easiest thing to do, but the idea of getting out there soon was just amazing to Sam. Reaching for Dean, he could tell that his brother was tired, and that made him feel bad knowing that he was the reason. However, feeling Dean's warm hand in his gave him a little hope that maybe his brother wouldn't resent him too much for falling back asleep.

Dean watched as his Sammy tried to smile at the news that his confinement was almost over. When he took his little brother's hand, he knew that the trust Sammy had in him when he was small was still there, and Dean had no idea what to do about it. He just prayed that he didn't let him down again. Seeing Sammy's eyes drift shut again, he couldn't feel more that a little sad. After all, he finally had a chance to 'talk' to him, and now he's asleep again. Then again, the more rest his body got, the faster he got better and the quicker his little brother got home where he belonged. "Sweet dreams Sammy; we're all here for you."

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AN: hmmm... calm before the storm??? 


	45. Chapter 45

AN: I want to thank everyone for reading... I'm totally blown away by the response I've gotten for this story. You guys rock!!! Hope you continue to enjoy:)

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John had known that he was a failure as a parent the day that Dean walked out of that motel room leaving him and Sammy to deal with the aftermath. Now though, the realization of how bad he had screwed up in teaching his son about what was really out there hit home. The fact that Dean still believed that the thing that he was harboring was Sammy twisted something deep in him to the point that he thought he'd be ill. He had spent years drilling his sons about the differences of creatures and the deceptions they could and _would_ use, only to have his oldest throw all that away for the delusion that his little brother was still among the living.

Hanging up the phone, he had managed to find out through process of elimination that the demon posing as Sam was at the base hospital, and he knew that it would be hard to get in there without being noticed; hard but not impossible. However, he also knew that if his son was doing what was expected, he'd make sure the _thing_ was well protected, so it would be a moot point to sneak onto the base, he'd bide his time and wait until _it_ was released. The thought that it really was Sammy in the hospital had occurred to him, that maybe there was a small part of him still left in there somewhere, but that only strengthened his resolve to release his son from the horrors that he was certain he was experiencing.

Becoming the janitor at the private school 'Sam' attended had been fairly easy, and it had so many benefits. As soon as he had started he heard the talk about a young lady by the name of Jenna who had been protected by 'Sam' when she had been threatened, and now he still went there even after his job was done. Apparently his teachers liked him, the Coach loved him, and the Dean of Students was starting to come around to tolerating him. So it was no problem letting everyone know just what it was they had let into their lives and he knew just how to do it. It hadn't taken long after spray painting the locker that many of the other students had jumped in and took care of the rest. Smiling, he felt the satisfaction of knowing that the creature hadn't had a moment's peace while at school after that.

Getting up from the small table, John went to the window to see that the day was starting to make its presence known. He would have to go to 'work' soon, but that was fine with him; he knew that he could get more information out of this Jenna girl and see if 'Sam' was improving, or had finally given up; effectively ruining his plans to get his family back.

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Celia was in a better mood than she really had a right to be. Sam's latest test results showed that the toxin had finally completely worked its way of his system, his blood counts while not stellar was a major improvement to what they had been, and his fever was actually decreasing to a more manageable level. Combine that with the fact the she and Stephen had gotten closer in the last couple of days, made her feel as if she was walking on air – and she didn't care who knew it!

Walking up to the makeshift waiting area that the Musketeers had set up, Celia couldn't keep the smile from her face. "By tonight Sam _will_ be in his own room!" she enthused, and watched as pandemonium broke out. She loved these guys. They could be as stoic as the most hardened soldiers, but when one of their own made a breakthrough, then they were just as enthusiastic. "Ok you clown… knock it off, you're still in a hospital. Now Sam still has some obstacles to overcome, but I have a feeling that he's going to have a lot of help to do it."

Dean couldn't believe it; his little brother did it, he fought and was winning! The feeling was overwhelming and he knew the others were filling the same way. Suddenly they all looked at each other – someone needed to tell Joseph! They had been so happy at the news that they forgot that it was Joseph's turn in the room with Sammy, so he had no way of knowing, and this was too important to wait. Grabbing Celia's pad and pen, Dean ran through the door, pausing only long enough to scrub up and get into the gear. Even though he was only going into the airlock, he wasn't going to take a chance that something somehow snuck through because he wasn't cautious; from now on where his little brother was concerned, cautious was the key word. Scribbling the note in big letters, Dean couldn't help the smile on his face while he banged on the small window to get Joseph's attention – everything was going to be alright now, he just knew it.

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Joseph had been reading to Sammy even though the kid was still asleep, it was something he remembered his dad had done for him whenever he was sick as a child. So as he read, he tried to keep his voice light and made sure that he didn't stumble too badly over the words. Who knew that Douglas Adams could make up so many words that would twist the tongue so much. He had managed to get through another chapter of The Hitchicker's Guide to the Galaxy, when he saw Sammy's eyelids flutter slightly before opening again.

"Hey kiddo, how's it going?" he asked, knowing that with the tube still in place, and actual vocal conversation was out of the question. However, they had an advantage that other's didn't have, not only did Sammy have very expressive eyes, but he knew enough sign language to make his meanings known. Seeing that little bro was signing that he wasn't sure yet… he was still asleep… Joseph laughed. "Yeah, I can see that. You know, we need to have a talk about that. You keep this up and we'll have to start calling you Sleeping Beauty."

Sam smirked, he couldn't help it. Joseph's comment was funny, but that didn't stop him from flipping him the bird while rolling his eyes anyway. He knew that he was feeling a little better, he could breathe without feeling as if something was crushing him, but he still had the chronic sleep problem. Then again, it could be the meds too. He wasn't an idiot; he knew that with as much antibiotics and pain medicine that was running through his IV, it was probably a miracle that he was awake as much as he was to begin with. Looking at his brother he asked about news, knowing that Joseph would have heard anything new on his condition.

"Not yet, sorry kiddo. As soon as we hear something you know we'll tell you." Joseph said, hoping that Celia would hurry up and give them something to hold onto. They could see that Sammy was getting better, but they also knew that it was taxing him just lying there almost completely isolated too. He knew that his time would be up pretty soon, but in all honesty, he didn't want to leave; it was selfish, but he wanted to sit there until their little bro was back with all of them.

A pounding on the door surprised both of them, and when they looked over they saw Dean holding a pad of paper to the small window in the airlock. It wasn't until Joseph rushed over and read it for himself that he let out a loud whoop of joy and turned back to Sammy.

"Great news Sammy! You get your own room tonight!"

Sam saw Dean's happiness in his eyes and heard Joseph's joyful words, making him respond with two very tired, but determined, thumbs up.

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Jenna was in her Art class, and not doing very well at all. She had wanted to stay at the hospital with Sam, but her dad had insisted that Sam would want her doing her normal things. Grudgingly she admitted that her dad had been right, but it didn't mean that she had to enjoy it. Trying to do a self portrait when you weren't sure of who you were anymore was a difficult undertaking, add to it the worry she was feeling, she felt her energy would be better elsewhere.

Hearing the beep of her cell phone signaling a text message, she pulled her phone out of her purse and stared at the message.

'_Sam better. New room tonight. See you here later?'_

Smiling, Jenna knew it was from Stephen just from the text. Dean used the phone only, Taylor would have used the text language, Joseph would have just said to call, but Stephen was the type of person to use actual words. Knowing that Sam was better gave Jenna the momentum to continue the day instead of skipping the rest of her classes.

Going to her next class, she missed the look the new janitor gave her as she practically danced down the hallway. All that mattered was that her Sam was getting better, everything else could wait.

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The dinner trays had already been delivered and collected, and a new shift of nurses and orderlies had come on duty when Sam was wheeled into his new room. Given the circumstances, Celia had been given permission to put him in a private room instead of sticking him in a ward, and although she wasn't happy with the attitudes of some of the staff, she was happy to know that the ones taking care of him were more open minded and friendly. Sam's nurse for the next two days was male and went by Trey even though everyone knew that his name was actually Trevor.

Trey had been in Operation Desert Shield as a foot soldier when shrapnel from a mortar shell had ripped his leg apart, leaving him partially disabled in the military's point of view. After being discharged for medical reasons, he had decided that he could still help those in uniform and became a nurse; feeling that doctor's got the credit, but it was the nurses that were really in the trenches. Having walked on duty and being informed of his new patient, he couldn't help but feel curious. After all, a fifteen year old with HIV obviously had a story to tell, and it was usually a bad one. Not sure what to expect, he was sure that Celia was just overreacting when she insisted that she escort him to Sam Winchester's room; until he walked in.

Standing there as if expecting him to be an armed intruder were a group of jarheads who looked tired, grumpy, and defiantly not in the mood for games. In fact, he only saw the soldiers, he had no idea where his patient was since they were blocking him from sight, which was a little unnerving to say the least. Looking at Celia, Trey was just about to ask about what was going on when she got _that_ look on her face.

"Oh for… calm down… this is Trey and he's Sam's nurse for the next couple of days. Damn it Dean, I'm too tired for this, all of you… sit down!"

Surprised, Trey noticed that all four men, and two teenagers did exactly as she commanded, making him wonder just what type of power she had and if they could bottle it up. Looking over at the bed he saw a kid who looked like death warmed over and he realized that he was about to get a lesson in humility. The kid had scars on his face that looked like someone had taken great pleasure putting there, not to mention the scars on his arms; something told him that the ones that he saw weren't the only ones there, but what got him was the small grin the kid gave him.

"Hey, don't worry… they only bite if you show fear." Sam joked, his voice barely above a whisper, but still the best thing his brothers had heard in a long time.

Laughing, Trey had to give it to the kid, he had guts. "That's nice to know kid, tell you what, you watch my back and we'll see about getting you home soon. Deal?" Seeing the agreement in Sam's eyes, he smiled then asked. "So, I have a feeling that you've been through this before?"

Sam didn't know what to say. Yeah, he'd been in the hospital with pneumonia since getting sick, but it had never been this bad, and he sure as hell hadn't wanted Dean to know about it. Before he had a chance to say anything, Dean spoke.

"Yeah, he had a bought of it about a year ago after taking an unscheduled swim in a freezing river. I doubt that it had been this bad though, right little brother?"

Nodding, Sam should have known that Dean would have scoured his medical records for any and all treatments that he had, either by Dr. Long or others. Looking over he saw only sympathy from his brothers and that made him feel safer than anything else at the moment. Trusting that his brothers were there, he smiled then looked back at Trey. "It wasn't a fun time; let's just put it that way. I'm glad I'm here though; my brothers take good care of me."

Seeing the truth in Sam's words, Trey nodded and wrote down the vitals showing on the machines. He could tell the kid was still hesitant about certain topics, and he couldn't help but think that he had run into more hindrances due to his condition than was necessary. "You know, not everyone out there are close minded kiddo, keep that in mind when you run into the idiots of the world."

The Musketeers had to wonder about what Trey said, but the look on Sammy's face made it obvious that he knew what the real meaning was, even if they didn't. Making mental notes to themselves, they unknowingly decided to find out at the first opportunity, because anything that pertained to their little brother they needed to know about.

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Jim and Caleb were more agitated than they had been in awhile. They hadn't found John which was bad enough, but the more information they gathered, the more their blood ran cold. They knew about John's belief in an artifact that could summon a demigod to undo bad deals, but it was reputed to only be able to be done on a leap year and only on the anniversary that the deal was made. Now however, they had been informed that the artifact could be used at any time with an archaic ritual as long as a blood sacrifice was performed at the same time. Now they knew why John was back, and they knew that time was running out; John was getting more unstable and only Sam knew where the artifact was.


	46. Chapter 46

Sam had woken screaming in the middle of the night causing his brothers to go into overprotective mode and Trey to wonder just what the hell the kid had really survived. When asked about his dreams, all he could remember was a disk or plate or something that he couldn't remember ever seeing before but then again, what else was knew. Trey had looked at him oddly, but his brothers knew that it had to be something important for it to get that type of reaction out of him.

Stephen had insisted that everyone go home in shifts, that way whoever was with little bro would be fresh and ready for any trouble. It had been a battle, but even Dean had to agree that if they were worn out, they couldn't take care of Sammy the way he needed. With the other Musketeers headed for the house, Dean settled to make sure his little brother was well taken care of.

"How's he doing?" Trey asked as he walked in. He knew the others had gone home to rest up a little so they could take turns watching over Sam, but it still unnerved him how some of these guys looked like they'd rather chew through him than let him get near his patient.

Dean looked up and saw the concern on Trey's face and had to soften a little. They all knew how Sammy's nurse had been worried ever since the impromptu wake up call early that morning; no one can get people moving like Sammy in the middle of a nightmare, but Dean wasn't sure what the real story on this guy was. Most people would just take care of their patient then go and do whatever else needed to be taken care of, but not Trey, he was always popping in checking on them. "Still sleeping. I swear if he doesn't wake up soon I'm going to go nuts." He said, watching Sammy's face for any signs of awareness.

"I take it you two are close?" Trey asked while checking Sam's pulse. Pleased, he put Sam's arm back gently before covering it to keep it warm. Looking over he saw Dean watching him closely. If it were any other situation he might have been worried, however his job was to take care of Sam until he went home. "I had a little brother, he was a good kid, but got caught up in some bad stuff. I went off to serve my country and was overseas for less than a month, but he was gone before I got back; gang war involving a drug dealer."

Not knowing what to say, Dean nodded in understanding. Sometimes you find yourself regretting the things you couldn't do more than the things you'd done. "Sorry to hear that. Yeah, Sammy and I were close, not so much now; but we're getting better. There's nothing I wouldn't do for the kid, and I know that if he thought it would help me, he'd step in front of a bus; that's what worries me."

Trey looked at the man in front of him then to the kid lying in the bed and he had to wonder about their story, but he had a feeling that he had gotten all we was going to for the moment. "All right, I'm about to bring in the lunch trays. Now I know that when he wakes up, he's going to say he's not hungry; it's an unfortunate side effect of some of the meds he's on. Think you can make sure he eats at least half?"

Smiling, Dean told him, "You help me sneak in a pizza and I'll make sure he eats the whole damn thing!"

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Stephen was going to meet Celia for lunch, so it made the most sense to take the next shift with Sammy. Although everyone wanted to be up there all the time, they also knew that he'd be more inclined to try and keep them entertained than getting the rest he needed. That didn't mean that they had to be bored though.

His father had been a big believer in exercising the mind, and had made sure that each one of his children knew how to play chess. It had become such a big thing in the family that once a week they would have their own tournament and whoever won had the privilege of keeping the trophy; a worn out stuffed rabbit that had been through every child at one time or another. Smiling, he remembered having the stupid thing for a solid month and having to hide it so his siblings wouldn't try and steal the raggedy thing.

"You about out of here?" Joseph asked quietly. They both knew that Taylor had crashed as soon as he hit his bed and there as no way anyone was going to risk waking him until they absolutely had to.

Nodding, Stephen wasn't sure why he was nervous, but he really didn't want to leave the apartment. Looking at Joseph he wondered if maybe he was just being paranoid, but the other man shook his head.

"Don't worry, they found the devices and Taylor asked one of the Cyber Guru's to track them down. I'm a little nervous about leaving the place alone for any amount of time, but I think we have it covered. So go and tell Sammy I said hi… oh, and don't cry when he kicks your tail at chess."

Chuckling while walking out the door, Stephen had to admit that he felt a little better about the situation. He'd feel a lot better though if they knew where John was and exactly when he planned to make his next move. This waiting was going to drive them all nuts.

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Sam woke to the smell of pizza, and not the cafeteria kind either; the good stuff. Looking over he caught Dean trying to stuff a couple of pieces in his mouth and he couldn't help find it amusing how his big brother could still act like a kid. Seeing the box on the tray he reached for a slice only to have his hand slapped away from a choking Dean.

"Not so fast Sammy. You're still ill; you need to crawl before you can run." Dean said in a raspy voice, sure that there was still a piece stuck in his windpipe somewhere.

"Come on Dean, I'm fine, and they want me to eat. What's better than pizza?" Sam asked, trying to reach for it again. It smelled so good, and he hadn't had one in forever.

Dean wasn't going to give in and continued to pull the pizza box away from his little brother until suddenly he realized what was happening. "Dude, you serious? You really want some of this?" he asked shocked, but excited at the same time.

Looking at his big brother, Sam was sure that Dean had to be the biggest jerk he knew. Then he as the look his brother was giving him and he had to wonder about it. Still too foggy on some of the meds he was barely able to string a conversation about pizza together much less why Dean was so shocked about him wanting some.

Excited, Dean handed him a small piece, hoping that maybe… YES!!! "Sammy, how do you feel? You ok, or do I need to get the trashcan?" When his little brother continued to look at him confused while munching happily on his pizza, Dean started cheering bring Trey, Celia and Stephen in the room.

Stephen was the first one to notice and he too started cheering twirling Celia around in circles leaving Trey the last one to wonder about what had happened.

"What's going on in here?" Trey asked, wondering what could have everyone so freaking happy. He noticed that Sammy was about to fall asleep again, but looked as confused as he felt. Looking at the others he was about to ask again when Celia pulled him off to the side.

"Trey, I know you thought I was nuts to order Sam's lunch the way I did, but you don't know this kid. If it's not prepackaged or prepared by him, he won't touch it; not even if it's from his brothers. The last time one of them tried, it didn't end well." She said quietly, watching as Sam continued to eat even as he started to drift off again. "Let's just say, this is a very good day, and I am very happy about it."

Confused, Trey only nodded before he watched the scene unfold in front of him. ; Dean and Stephen both telling Sam how proud they were of him, making the kid blush. He could tell that something bad had happened to the kid, and although he was curious, he wasn't going to push it. After all, it looked like Sam had quite a few people looking after him.

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Jim and Caleb had finally managed to meet up with Bobby and the information he had managed to pull together wasn't what they wanted to hear. Even so, they knew they had to find John if for no other reason than to save Sam.

"So you're sure that it's not a spell, curse or possession?" Caleb asked Bobby, knowing that if it was one of those then it would be a lot easier to handle.

Bobby looked at Caleb then at Jim, "Yeah, I'm sure. Damn it, we should have done something years ago!" he gritted out, knowing that he and the others should have taken John down when they had the chance, before he had completely lost his mind. Then again, when had he really lost it? Was it when Dean left, or much earlier than that and they had all been so ready to forgive their friend's moodiness that they hadn't wanted to see the truth?

Jim knew the blame rested solely on his shoulders, as John's priest as well as friend he had been privy to the obsession that John had with finding his beloved wife's killer. Unfortunately, he was also privy to much more when John started to become convinced that Sam had something to do with it; not as an innocent bystander, but as an actually accomplice. However, those revelations were made during a drunken stupor when no one could make him see reason; then the next day was as if nothing had happened, and he was the same father to the boys as he had been, so no one thought to question him. Now they all knew the truth; John Winchester had become psychotic in their midst, and they were too blind to see it.

"Alright, we know where we've already looked, how about the places Sam's been. Has anyone checked there to make sure that John isn't hiding in plain sight?" Caleb asked, hoping that someone would come up with something other than 'we're still working on it.' Frustrated, Caleb walked out of the room trying to regain what control he had left of his temper. He remembered how Sam had run away from them a year ago, how he had been more willing to jump into a cold Minnesota river than to trust that the people who had found them were the good guys. He had known years ago that he should have convinced John to let the boys stay with Jim more, but the more he tried the more the older man would shut him and the boys off from the hunting community; not that he really blamed John at the time. Hunters weren't known for their nurturing ways, but in hindsight they all could see it was a sign of what was to come. Now they had to deal with it, whether they liked it or not.


	47. Chapter 47

It had taken quite a lot of convincing to get Dean to leave the hospital after his Sammy was having such a great day. It didn't matter that Sammy had fallen asleep with the remaining pizza crust hanging from his hand after succumbing to sleep, it only mattered that his little brother was eating like a regular person and Dean didn't want to miss a moment of it. Finally Stephen convinced Dean that there would be thousands of meals he would be able to watch over, but he wouldn't be good to anyone if his was dead on his feet.

Stephen was thankful for the quiet, he knew that Sammy would rest better without Dean's pacing, and if anyone needed rest it was their kid brother. Celia had come in a couple of times to check on them, and Trey had even made a point to make sure that they didn't need anything, but for the most part Sammy was sleeping peacefully and he was able to relax for a moment.

"Stephen?" Sam asked, seeing the other man by the window. He wasn't sure why he expected Dean, but his not being there threw him off.

Turning, Stephen saw the concern and rushed to reassure him, "Hey Sammy, I sent Dean home, he hasn't had any sleep yet, and well… you know how he gets."

Smiling, Sam did know, he'd watched his big brother go into hyper drive because he was so wound up. "Oh, so you have guard duty?" he asked quietly, not really knowing why the idea made him upset.

"Nope! I'm making sure that they take good care of you, and that you don't want for anything. There's a guard outside the door for any and all security concerns, ok? This visit is just two brothers together until the smallest gets better. Got it?" Stephen said firmly, starting to understand the unease he had sensed in little bro.

Sam looked at Stephen and nodded, "Got it, two brothers hanging out. So bro, what are we going to do to keep from climbing the walls?"

Pulling the bed tray closer, Stephen smiled brightly, "I hear you think you're pretty good at chess."

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Caleb and Bobby looked at each other in disbelief then both looked like they wanted to hit something. It had taken this long to get the full story out of Jim and although neither man relished the thought of killing a man of the cloth, they both felt an itch to at least maim him. Now they were looking at more information than they had before and had to wonder why in the world no one had decided to follow through and make sure that John wasn't hiding at the school where Sam attended.

Jim knew that telling the other hunters about what he had known or at least suspected years ago would bring a strain, but he was hoping they'd be able to move on. Looking at the information about the school that Sam attended didn't seem like the place that John would look into, but then again John had been known to get into some very public places without anyone taking notice of him.

"What about this Dr. Long? Is she going to be a problem?" Caleb asked, wondering how Jim knew about her and they didn't.

Shaking his head Jim could only convey what he knew. "The last Dean told me, she had sent a couple of investigators to see if they could locate Sam, but otherwise she's been pretty quiet; she even canceled all public appearances because the incident at the mall leaked out causing a backlash for her."

"Good! The witch deserves it for what she put Sam through, and that's just the stuff we know about. Who knows what else she did that wasn't put in that damn book!" Bobby growled, pushing more paper away and trying to find the information on the school. It was getting close to time for them to leave if they were going to have any type of chance to seeing if John was there.

Caleb knew what Bobby meant; it was one thing to hear about it, it was something else to have it in black and white staring at you. None of them could believe that the little boy they knew, that scary smart and uber sweet kid who would rather jump off a cliff than hurt anyone, had been so mistreated by people that he should have been able to trust.

Checking the time again, they knew that it was time to go, and if they had any luck at all they could put an end to this once and for all.

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Taylor knew that Dean was sleeping, everyone in the apartment could hear his snores and there was no way he was going to disturb him. Stephen was still at the hospital, but Joseph would leave soon to take his shift and hopefully would be witness to a small miracle of Sammy actually eating. He however had slept all day and knew that with his shift being the graveyard hours, he would probably have to load up a couple of games as well as book he was working on to keep himself entertained.

Thinking about their little bro made Taylor worry about how they were going to be able to keep him safe once they were home. It was one thing to call in some favors for the short term, but until John was found Sammy was in real danger and that thought scared him more than anything he had _ever_ faced before.

"Hey man, I'm about to head out, so I'll see you later tonight, right?" Joseph asked with his and Sammy's backpack in hand. Seeing Taylor's look he quickly explained, "The kid's got to be bored by now. I have his walkman with Return of The King, some listings that his realtor sent over along with some pictures, and of course that art project he's been stumped on, you know just in case he wants to reflect on his id or whatever while he's there."

Laughing, Taylor had always known Joseph was a closet geek, but now he had proof. "Go on, get out of here you freak. Oh and tell Jenna and Vic I said hello. I have a feeling that they're going to make themselves just as much as a permanent fixture in Sammy's room as they did in the hallway."

Waving, Joseph walked out the door determined to find out a few things along the way. The realtor hadn't been the only one wanting to send their Sammy information, the bank's loan manager had called and once the initial 'who's this?' was out of the way, he learned that their little brother was refinancing the rent house he had just bought, and he wanted to know why. From what he understood this had been in the works since he first bought the house without their knowledge, so what was so important that he felt the need…

'_when I'm gone, all of you get my business.'_

"Oh hell no little brother, there's no way we're letting you go that easily." Joseph said to himself, then decided that he needed to talk to Sammy before trying to talk to the bank. "We need to get this hashed out now."

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Bobby was already tired of looking around the perimeter of the prestigious school and he knew that Caleb echoed his sentiment. The grounds were monstrous and the foliage outside the property was overgrown. They weren't sure if John would actually be there, but they thought if he was then the Impala would be close.

Suddenly Caleb stopped and held Bobby still while he pointed to a side entrance and a girl with red hair who walked out with no other than their old friend Johnnyboy. The girl looked to be smiling at John as if she was relieved to be able to talk to him, and John at first looked open and honest; until the girl turned away, then his look took on a more calculating edge, making the hunters understand that they might have just lucked out and got there barely in time. Now they just needed to find out what John already knew, and what his plans really were.

Watching the girl leave in her small green car, Bobby and Caleb continued to walk around the perimeter to find the Impala. Finally finding it in the back hidden behind one of the outbuildings, Caleb climbed the fence and made his way to it. Checking for any signs of where John was staying, he pulled out a small device from his pocket and placed it in the bumper before climbing back over the fence.

"Ok hotshot, mind telling me why we don't jump him here and now?" Bobby asked, itching to get hold of John with his bare hands.

Caleb looked over and smirked, "Because old man, I don't know about you, but I don't want all these witnesses for one, for another if we screw this up I don't want him to know how much we know about what he's doing."

Although he understood the reasoning, Bobby didn't like it. In fact, the longer this took, the more concerned he was getting. They couldn't afford another screw up; _Sam_ couldn't afford them screwing up again.


	48. Chapter 48

AN: hey there... I hope you all like this chapter, don't forget to let me know. Thanks to Sammygirl1963, as usual helping me remember that sometimes the missing words are the most important ones.

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Joseph had been sitting there watching Sammy sleep for the hour that he'd been there, and he was anxious for the kid to wake up. They all knew that he had a great day, even eating a piece of pizza that had been delivered from who knew where, so it was no big shock to see how worn out he was now. However, they had something to discuss and Joseph knew that the longer it took, the more complex it could end up.

"Hey Joseph" Sam said quietly looking at his brother's intent face. "What's wrong?"

Looking over, Joseph could see the apprehension on little bro's face and he forced himself to relax. "Nothing really kiddo, but I needed to talk to you about a few things when you're up to it." He knew he sounded calm, but inside he was in a panic. How could Sammy even think that this would be something that they would want?

Sam looked questioningly at Joseph then asked, "What's going on? Did something happen to Dean? Oh my God, Joseph I need to get out of here!" Sam was already trying to get out of bed before Joseph realized what idea he'd put in the kid's head.

"Whoa there Sammy, Dean's fine, everyone's fine. Calm down dude, you're going to give yourself a relapse or something." Joseph said while gently pushing Sammy back against the pillows. "Sammy, the bank called wanting to talk to you about the loan you're wanting on the rent house. Is there some reason why your refinancing after you just bought it?"

Puzzled, Sam thought about it. He knew about the loan, it had made the most sense, but he had no idea why Joseph would be upset about it. "Yeah, I needed to pay off the guy I borrowed the money from." Seeing Joseph's shocked expression, he explained. "I got a hard money loan, its higher interest but they usually don't care how old you are as long as you can pay them; if you can't then they take the house. I got enough for the house and the repairs and a little extra to make the payments in case it took awhile to get it rented. I applied to refinance so I could pay the guy the whole loan amount, and pull the remaining equity so we can go and buy another house or whatever when the opportunity comes around."

Thinking about what Sammy said, Joseph could see the wisdom of that decision. "So, that's the only reason? You're not trying to make sure we have enough to bury you with or anything, right?"

Sam laughed, "Dude, getting cremated not buried." Seeing that he was the only one laughing he stopped. "I didn't do anything wrong, I checked Joseph, I swear. Everything's legal and when we close the bank will deposit the money directly in the company account so you guys can have access to it if you want and…"

"Whoa… wait a minute! Sammy, calm down little bro, you're going to make yourself sick. You didn't do anything wrong, I was just a little surprised, that's all. I should have known that you thought everything through, alright. Wow! Uh… how much are we talking here?" Joseph asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

Shrugging, Sam answered, "The amount of the bank is going to put in the account is around eighty grand. It would have been more, but I wanted to make sure that there was enough still in the house so it covered the down payment."

"Wait… eighty thousand _dollars_? Sam… are you serious? That's like…"

"Sixteen thousand for each of us, yeah, I know. I'd like to keep it in the bank for…"

Joseph was puzzled, "Sammy, what do you mean for each of us? That's your business, your money. Little brother, I was amazed by the amount only because it means that you can pay for tuition at practically any college you want."

Shaking his head, Sam knew that he needed to get this subject closed. "No Joseph, you know that I'm not going to college. The only reason why I'm going to school at all is so I don't disappoint you guys. Look, no matter what happens the money is all of ours; or all of yours, I don't care. I only wanted to do this so Dean would be able to have a choice in what he wanted to do after the Marines, but you guys have always stood by him, by me. I want to do this for you, all of you, ok?"

Sensing that the subject was about to stress Sammy out too much, Joseph decided to let it slide for now. Instead he held up the listing the realtor sent. "Tell you what, how about you show me the ropes and then I might feel better about stealing the money from my little brother, alright?"

Settling in and looking over the houses didn't sound like much, but it gave Joseph a chance to see how Sammy's mind worked, and he was amazed by the intricate thoughts that weaved through the kid's brain. He had no doubt that Sammy could go on to do great things if only he'd allow himself the opportunity.

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Stephen and Celia had to convince both Jenna and Vic to join them for supper since they both knew that the teens wouldn't eat anything if they were with Sam until the end of visiting hours. Jenna wasn't in a talkative mood until Vic mentioned the new janitor at the school and wondered what he was really like.

"Oh, he's really nice. In fact, he made a point of cleaning up Sam's locker as soon as someone trashed it again. He's been real supportive, and even asked about him a couple of times, of course he calls Sam _Stan_, but that's ok." Jenna said brightly conveying how wonderful she thought the man was.

Vic looked at the others then at Jenna questioningly, "Are we talking about the same man? Tall, dark hair, beard? Jenna, I heard him talking to some of the guys in the locker room the other day, and he sounded like he was glad that Sam was in the hospital instead of at school 'with decent kids' like us, as he put it."

Jenna was sure that Vic had either misunderstood, or that they were talking about two different people all together. There was no way that Mr. Langston was the one Vic had heard, she was sure of it.

Stephen looked at Celia in concern and then at Vic, "Uh, you didn't get a really good look at him did you Vic?"

"Uh, yeah I guess so. I mean I could point him out if I saw him again, why?" Vic looked at Stephen and was starting to get a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, especially when he saw the other man pull out his cell phone.

"Dean, yeah it's me. Look, I need to know if you have a picture of John… man, quit yelling, Vic may have seen him and we need… no, we're at the hospital… NO, NOT HERE!... Man, will you listen… alright, just hurry up will you?" Stephen closed his phone and started muttering to himself before addressing the others. "Dean's on his way with a photo of John, and let me suggest you get what you want to say prepared because he is hell bent to find him right now."

Vic swallowed nervously and wondered if it was too late to run and hide, he'd seen how Dean gets when he's already tense, add to it slow information and he's a ticking time bomb. 'Man, how do I get myself into these messes?' he thought, wondering if Dean was going to kill the messenger that his dad had been closer than everyone thought.

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John was in a very good mood; in fact he was in a better mood than he had been in awhile. After finding out that 'Sam' was indeed getting better, he also found out that the school would allow him to attend again when he was released from the hospital. Feeling as if it all was working towards his plan, he had a momentary lapse in judgment when talking to the girl Jenna. Now though, he thought it would work towards his favor. After all, she thought he was just a janitor concerned for a student; she had no idea that he was actually a hunter going after his prey.

Pulling into the motel parking lot, he wondered how much longer he would be staying there. He hated being in place for long, losing his beautiful Mary had cured him for his desire to settle down in one spot. His only real regret was what it had done to his boys; Dean running off to fill some void that John never understood, and the demise of his youngest. He used to wonder what life would have been like if he hadn't let Sammy go off with that guy, but how was he supposed to know that the thing that would come back wouldn't be his baby boy at all, just a shadow of what he was.

Stretching as he pulled himself out of the truck, John glanced over at the office and wondered who would be working at the desk tonight. If it was Frank he'd have to stay in, but if it was Jerry, then he'd be able to sneak out without anyone being the wiser. He was hoping for Jerry, because he really needed to blow off some steam, and what was better than to go out and kick some supernatural ass, and if it just so happened that the freaks of nature looked like the demon posing as his Sammy, all the better.


	49. Chapter 49

AN: Sorry guys, I meant to upload this last night. Hope you enjoy!

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Dean was furious; if John was close then they needed to catch him before he did something else to Sammy. Not paying attention to traffic laws, he made it to the hospital's parking lot in record time. Taylor had been hanging on for dear life and only started to breathe again when they slid to a stop in a space close to the entrance.

"Dean, you have some really issues man." Taylor said as they were rushing inside, "no wonder Sammy is hesitant about…"

Whipping around to face his friend, Dean demanded, "Hesitant about what Taylor? What the hell is he hiding from me now?"

Taylor had a feeling that no matter how he answered at the moment, it was going to be wrong. Looking at Dean he finally answered, "Man, it's a surprise. He was going to wait until your next birthday, but he found a great deal and… man don't make me ruin this for him."

Looking at Taylor, Dean wasn't sure what to think. After everything that he and Sammy had already been through and he was still keeping secrets, it didn't set well with him. "What Taylor, you tell me that he's hiding something, and everything that he's hidden before was something major, so how 'bout giving me a heads up for once."

Sighing, Taylor nodded and pulled out his laptop. "You have to promise me that you won't blow your stack, 'cause dude, that is just what little bro _doesn't_ need right now." Seeing Dean's reluctant agreement, he turned the computer over to Dean to show him what was on the screen. "Right now they're still negotiating price. The guy thinks he can get full price for it, but our Sammy knows that it would take that much at least to fix up and running. Like I said, he wanted it to be a surprise."

"I'm surprised all right." Dean said quietly while looking at a picture of a 1971 Chevy Chevelle that looked as if it had spent the last several years in the middle of a field somewhere. "How's he going to pay for this, I mean even in the shape it's in its not going to be cheap."

Shrugging his shoulders Taylor answered, "I'm not sure, something about that rent house being a better investment than he thought. He was going to explain it to me, but then he got sick."

Realizing the time, Dean slapped Taylor on the shoulder and they took off down the hall again to find out just how close John had really been to their little brother.

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It had taken awhile for Caleb to find out what garage John had been doing the repairs on the Impala, but after that getting information had been pretty easy. The owner had been a friend of John's for years and apparently had owed him a few favors, so when his buddy called and asked to have his classic Chevy that had been vandalized outside his son's house towed to his garage and fix it up, he was more than happy to oblige. The guy even told Caleb where John was staying and confirmed that he was working as a janitor at a very exclusive private school. The icing on the cake however was that John was going to be back to settle his bill at the end of the week, and they'd probably sit around for a couple of hours while they talked about the good times they had.

Leaving the garage, Caleb was angrier than he had been in awhile. It might have been difficult to find where the car had been, but after that it was simple to get information. In fact it was so easy that Caleb wondered who was giving him the bigger pile of BS, the hunters, or the owner of the garage. Now more than ever he was glad he put the small tracking device on the car, he had a feeling they were going to be using it soon.

Suddenly a thought hit him and it had him reaching for his phone. "Bobby, look what was the last thing that John was driving?" he asked, wondering why they didn't think of it before. When he heard the answer he swore before replying, "We've been had, the Impala's a decoy. Damn it! Look, be ready in ten minutes we're going to where John's supposed to be staying. If I'm right then we're going to have two vehicles to watch."

After hanging up with Bobby, he knew that he needed to call Dean, but from what Jim had told him, Dean wasn't too keen on the idea of hunters being around, and at the moment he couldn't blame him; everyone in their little circle had screwed this all to hell. Deciding to wait until they got more information, Caleb slipped his phone back in his pocket and hoped that he wasn't making yet another mistake.

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Joseph had listened intently to Sammy about the different houses on the market at the moment, and that they needed to be careful since they were in a seller's market which made finding the better deals a lot harder. Seeing some of the listings that they were talking about, he immediately saw what little bro was talking about. Looking over and seeing Sammy sleeping, he decided to look over the loan papers as well as the listings himself.

Half an hour and a headache later, Joseph was ready to call it quits when he heard a disturbance outside the door. When he got up to check, Dean was already rushing into the room.

"Ok, we have a problem." Dean whispered harshly once he saw Sammy was sleeping again. "John's been working at the school and Jenna's been feeding him information."

Shocked, Joseph couldn't only stare at Dean until he realized that Stephen and Taylor were there too nodding in agreement. "What! You have got be kidding… how did we not know that?" he asked.

No one had an answer, and that upset them even more. Not only had John broken into their apartment and basically poisoned their little brother, but had been in a position to have access to him while they were clueless to stop it. Finally, Stephen looked at Celia who had finally caught up to what was going on and asked, "Can we take Sammy home now?"

Celia was worried, Sam had just now started to bounce back and she wasn't sure that their apartment was the best place for him to get the rest he needed. Taking another look around at the guys she suddenly realized that it might be the only place that he could get better; his brothers took their duty to him very seriously. "Only on the following conditions; One: He doesn't miss any of his scheduled meds, Two: You make sure he eats and eats well… no junk food, Three: I have complete and constant access to him no matter the time day or night. Are you willing to go along with those?" she asked, watching each man in turn. When they all nodded in unison she knew that she had just won a small scrimmage, because deep down she knew that Sam was about to be put on complete lock down until John was found.

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John knew that hunters would be snooping around, how could they not when his 'son' had the knowledge of where a very interesting artifact was. Now he just needed to steer his former friends away for awhile while he prepared the final touches to end this nightmare once and for all.

Looking at a small photo of his wonderful wife, he wondered how things would be once he got her back. He knew that he'd have to settle down; the life of a hunter wasn't for his sweet Mary, but he'd still teach her about the things that others only thought as imagination. She was smart though, so he had no doubt she would catch on quickly. The first thing that he was going to teach her was how to lay out a decoy for others to follow.

He couldn't believe his luck in finding his old friend Steve Brenner, and that he remembered owing a debt as well. It had taken awhile to fix the Impala, but now that she was running again, she was going to be the key in keeping his son off track while he and 'Sam' went on a little trip. Yes, he couldn't wait to get the little bastard back so he could make everything right again.

Looking back at Mary in the picture he said softly, "Just a little longer sweetheart, then no one will be able to take you away again."


	50. Chapter 50

Sam hated the idea of being inside all the time, and having a babysitter was even worse; admittedly having the Colonel there with him wasn't horrible, he just wish he was out doing something else. Sighing loudly, he tossed the sketchpad to the side and looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't shut his door, otherwise he was out of sight and that was a huge no-no, so that meant that anyone in close proximity of his room could hear everything that went on and that was just completely unnerving especially with the continual flashbacks he'd been having of when he was with his Dad.

His brothers were working with Katie at the moment on some heavy intel work, and he understood why they couldn't stay with him; they had work to do. What he _didn't_ understand was why they insisted on him being watched around the clock like some infant. If he was still that sick, then shouldn't he still be in the hospital?

"Sam, you alright in here?" Terrance asked, already knowing the answer before he even asked the question. The Musketeers had all made sure that he knew that Sam had no idea how close John had actually gotten, and they planned on keeping it that way. He didn't agree with it, but then again, he wasn't involved in Sam's life as he had been.

Looking at the Colonel, Sam tried to stay optimistic, but the look he was given told him that the truth was the only thing that would be accepted. "I think I'm losing my mind, sir." He said honestly, "Before I could at least go outside, I mean I was able to buy a house and organize the repairs without someone right there. Now I'm dragged out of the hospital after they tell me I almost died, and they want me to sit here until they decide its ok for me to go to the bathroom by myself."

Terrance knew Sam's frustration, but unfortunately the precautions were necessary. He watched as Sam once again looked at the clock and wondered if he was estimating when his brothers would be back or trying to figure out which of his medicines he was supposed to take. Either way he knew that it was still going to be a long couple of hours at this rate. "Sam, how about we play some poker and watch a movie while we wait; no one said we had to be bored tonight."

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Dr. Long knew she shouldn't have answered her phone; after all she'd been screening her calls for months, ever since that fiasco of a book signing. However, the man on the other end could either be her total downfall or her salvation. John Winslow needed help in getting Samuel back from some people claiming to be his brothers; of course that was if Mr. Winslow was telling the truth. The problem was; she had no idea. Everything that he had told her checked out, which meant that either he was a very accomplished con artist and she helped him destroy a young boy, or the young boy was being taken advantage of by some very dangerous people.

She had one shot to redeem herself, either she proved that Samuel needed the treatment she prescribed and save her reputation, or she finds out that she had been duped in which case she will notify authorities and possibly save her reputation. She couldn't see a downside. All she needed was her patient so she could evaluate him properly without interference and she'd have her answers. Sitting in an ambulance, she waited for the call to come in. The plan was simple, she waited out of sight in the ambulance, when a call came in for the last known address of Samuel then they would arrive where her orderlies would bring the boy to her and then they could get out of there before anyone was the wiser.

She had no idea how John planned on getting him from where he was, but she was confident that her answers would be answered soon. It was dark and as far as anyone was concerned, they were a normal ambulance waiting for their next call.

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Dean was anxious to get inside and see his little brother; nothing else mattered at the moment. He unfortunately had to wait and help bring in some groceries that the rest of the guys suddenly realized they needed. Growling in frustration, he urged them on faster so they could get moving and check on Sammy.

Walking into the apartment and seeing the Colonel and Sammy playing poker while watching Top Gun wasn't exactly what they expected, but at least no one had met them at the door with a list of complaints. As the Musketeers stood there with their arms filled with sacks of groceries, they were actually shocked to hear their Sammy announce that he folded. Looking at each other in shock they wondered if the kid had lost his touch, until the Colonel looked at them.

"The kid's good, already got me for a hundred matchsticks, which means I'm about busted. So, since you're here, and I'm sure Katie has a report ready for me, I'm going home to wait for her call. Sam, it's great seeing you up and around. I'll see you next week if your guard dogs let you off the porch."

Sam smiled and waved at the Colonel glad that his brothers were home again. "Everything ok?" he asked, hoping that he didn't sound too anxious; he really didn't want any of his brothers to have to leave on another mission right now.

Nodding, the guys silently agreed; so far everything was fine. They shared a look though that also said, 'for now'. None of them wanted to think about it, especially with Sammy still recovering, but they all knew it was something they were going to have to plan for, just in case.

"Hey Sammy, you took all your meds, right?" Dean asked, knowing that the Colonel would have made sure of it, but he still wanted to hear it from his little brother.

"Yeah, every one. Celia called twice to make sure too. I thought at first she was calling to talk to Stephen, but I guess she decided I was the better catch." Sam said with a smile causing Stephen to look up suddenly then reach out to ruffle the young Winchester's hair.

"Nice try little bro, but she's all mine." Stephen said in good humor, happy to see Sammy smiling again.

Knowing that their little brother would be sound asleep soon, they hurried through dinner and sat with him in the living room to enjoy what conscious moments he had left. None of them wanted to take for granted the time they had with him; they all knew how close they had come to losing him.

Dean smiled a couple of hours later when he glanced over and saw his little brother sound asleep on the floor. "You know," he whispered, "he keeps curling up like that and I'm going to start thinking he's part cat."

Chuckling, the rest of the Musketeers smiled and agreed, Sammy did have a way of napping on the floor when they least expected it. After covering him with a blanket, they headed for bed determined to spend the next day with their little brother.

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The faint sounds of siren's getting closer roused Taylor from a sound sleep, making him want to rip someone's head from their shoulders. Looking blearily at his clock he noticed that it was close to midnight, and definitely not time to wake up. It wasn't until he heard the banging at the side door that he noticed the siren had actually stopped close by and he smelled something odd… SMOKE!

Running out of his room he was met by both Stephen and Joseph who looked as confused as he felt until they heard someone pounding on their front door as well. Rushing towards the living room they noticed then that half their apartment was already thick with smoke and the sound of a fire was close by.

Stephen managed to find the door and opened it for the fire fighter's while Taylor stumbled to wake Dean who thankfully had his door closed, and Joseph crawled to Sammy. After Dean realized what was going on he quickly ran into the living room in time to hear the fire fighter's guide everyone out of the apartment.

"Come on Dean!" Taylor choked out as they too headed out the door and down the stairs where they were met by both Amber and Heather.

"Are you two alright?" Dean asked in between coughing fits and searching for Sammy.

Heather grabbed Dean's arm and pointed to an ambulance across the street. "We're fine Dean; they're taking Sammy over there to get checked out."

Grateful that they had alert neighbors, Dean and Taylor both rushed towards the ambulance in time to see it rush away. Looking at each other they wondered what was going on when one of the firemen called out, "They're taking him in to get checked out, the kid could barely take in a breath!"

Seeing Stephen and Joseph rushing towards them, they knew they needed to go fast. After getting the hospital name, they rushed towards the Suburban in hopes of getting there when the ambulance did.

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When they had pulled in behind the fire trucks, Dr. Long was sure she was starting to see John Winslow's plan, and she wasn't feeling confident about it. It didn't take long for the people inside to rush out of the building, including young Samuel Winslow himself. After her orderlies saw the boy, they took off like any other paramedics and guided him to the ambulance where after taking a few rudimentary vital signs, declared that he needed to get to the ER fast, even told the two men who had come out of the apartment with him that they would have to follow.

It wasn't until they were away from the scene that she allowed herself the chance to crawl into the back with her patient and take a good look at him. Seeing that the boy was doing as well as expected, she asked the driver, "How much longer before we're there?"

"As long as we don't hit any traffic, we should be there in half an hour doctor."

Smiling, she nodded and decided that this was as good of a time as any. After injecting one of her special mixes into Sam's arm, she spoke close to his ear. "Samuel, I need you to wake up for me. Can you hear me Samuel?"

Sam had been having the oddest dream. He had fallen asleep on the floor again, but this time there was smoke and heat, but he couldn't move. Now he heard someone talking to him, but he knew it wasn't any of his brothers. "Dean?" he asked groggily, hoping he was close by. "Dean…"

"Samuel, its Dr. Long, I need you to wake up, can you do that for me?" she asked as if she had asked him to pass the sugar.

Startled, Sam jolted upright on the gurney and stared at her in horror. "Ohm'God, Ohm'God, Ohm'God… you're not here… you can't be here… DEAN! TAYLOR! JOSEPH! _STEPHEN!"_ he screamed, praying that this was a nightmare that he would wake from with his brothers close telling him it was alright.

Not certain about the other names, she clung to the one she recognized. "Samuel, we talked about this; Dean doesn't exist."

Looking at the doctor, Sam knew that he was on his own and lashed out, pushing her against the wall as he scrambled across the gurney towards the back only to be pinned himself by the other orderly. "Let me go!" he yelled while trying to fight the man off, but collapsed in a fit of coughing while his lungs screamed for more air.

Taking another syringe out of her back, she plunged the needle into his arm and watched as he slowly succumbed to the sedative. Looking at the orderly, she motioned towards the gurney, "Put him back there, that should hold him until we get him to his father." She watched as her patient was maneuvered back onto the gurney and wondered what she would find out when she confronted the man she knew as John Winslow about his son's behavior.

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"What do you mean you haven't had any emergencies come in? We weren't even five minutes behind them!" Dean yelled at the receptionist, panicked that someone had lost his little brother.

"Sir, I am telling you the only ambulances that we have had in the last half hour have been one heart attack and a woman in labor. Now unless your brother is an eighty eight year old man or a twenty six year old woman, he isn't here." The receptionist said, trying hard not to feel resentful towards someone who was determined to make her night a living hell.

"Stephen, what's going on?" a voice asked coming through the outer doors.

Turning, all four Musketeers saw Celia in a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Happy to see her, they quickly explained what happed and how they weren't getting any information. It didn't take any of them very long to see the change in her, and they all wondered if they should get out of the way.

Walking calmly over to the receptionist's desk, Celia explained calmly, "I'm sure you know who has and who hasn't come through the doors tonight, but I'm asking you to see if you can find out where else they could have taken him. I know he's not at the base hospital because they would have called me immediately, so if you have any other ideas…"

The receptionist had a feeling that she wasn't really being asked to do something; she was being threatened if she didn't find the answers. Nodding, she quickly called the dispatcher of the local ambulance service and found out that there had been a call cancelled at the address mentioned, but otherwise nothing redirected.

A cold feeling was starting to spread throughout their bodies, and the looks exchanged assured each man that the theory made sense. They had been had, and now someone has their little brother; that someone had to be John!


	51. Chapter 51

AN: I had recieved such strong input, that I got the impression that everyone would really like an extra quick update... so, here it is - hope it doesn't disappoint!

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The cops had been there and gone, the Colonel had been notified, Jenna and Vic both arrived in a state of panic, and an Amber Alert had been issued for Sam with an APB issued for the ambulance that had been in the repair facility but was now missing.

The Musketeers didn't care about any of that, they wanted to know where their little brother was and what was happening to him, hundreds of scenarios crossed their minds and each one darker than the last. They all knew that Sammy was in trouble, and their concerns mounted as soon as they talked to the Fire Chief. An incinerating device had been put in the light fixture of the additional bedroom on the first floor, making the fire have instant access to Sammy's room. It was clear to everyone that John hadn't really cared if the kid had gotten out alive, which made no sense whatsoever to any of them until they put in focus; John had completely lost his mind.

The Colonel was keeping track of the search through the Police Chief and a couple of his contacts while Katie was trying desperately to weed through all the traffic camera footage that had been pulled. Each person had their cell phone to their ear, a portable radio close by and easy access to a map that was quickly being updated to where the search had been ruled out.

Dean was about to rip someone a new one and he didn't care who. His baby brother was missing, missing after finally starting to come out of his shell and interact with other people. It wouldn't take too much more before he started calling hoodoo people to try and track his father down by any means necessary. Seeing that everyone was trying to get information on where the ambulance had last been seen, which wasn't an easy task to begin with, he tried to calm himself down and barely heard his phone in the process. Not recognizing the number, he tentatively answered and was surprised to find Caleb on the other end.

"_Dean, don't hang up! I know where your dad is, and man he's setting up something freaky. Just tell me Sammy's ok."_

Anger burst through and Dean didn't try to stop it. "NO HE'S NOT OK; JOHN'S GOT HIM, NOW WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!"

Caleb knew that this was worse than they thought and gave the coordinates to Dean, not bothering to tell the other man how difficult it had been to actually track John down and keep an eye on him. After he hung up he was about to get into position to confront his friend when a mini van pulled up and parked close to the building that John was holed up in. Staying in the shadows, he crept along and watched as a woman and two men got out, and then pulled one very drugged Sammy out of the vehicle.

'Damn it, John!' he thought, as he casually walked up close to the small group of people. "Hey there folks, how's things?" he asked, hoping to stall for a few minutes for Dean and his friends to show up.

Dr. Long stepped up to the man and smiled, "Oh you know how boys will be, got into a little bit of trouble and now we have to deal with it."

Nodding, Caleb smiled. "Oh yeah, I remember my parents having to chase me across half the state once because I thought I was in love with a waitress from Yuma. So, you all need any help?"

"I don't think so Caleb." John said, his voice echoing against the hanger. "I think we have everything under control."

Caleb looked at his friend and saw a stranger, and what he saw in this person's eyes froze him to the core of his being. Gone was the impassioned man determined to avenge his wife, in his place was a man willing to do absolutely _anything_ to bring her back. So caught up in his thought he failed to notice the gun in John's hand until he felt the burning in his chest and the asphalt against his cheek as he collapsed where he stood.

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After leaving instructions for Celia to watch over Jenna and Vic the rest loaded up into the Suburban and raced down the road to the coordinates Caleb had sent. Dean hated the idea that he wasn't driving, but he also knew that the guys were right; he could get careless when he thought his brother was in trouble, and they wouldn't do Sammy any good if they were in a ditch somewhere.

They were ten minutes into their drive when they heard on the radio that the ambulance had been found with no one inside, but some suspicious looking syringes were being taken in for analysis. The thought that Sammy was being drugged again made them all ill, and more determined than ever to bring their little brother back.

According to Caleb, John was at an abandoned private airstrip approximately an hour away from the apartment. The problem was it had been over an hour since Sammy had been taken, which left them wondering how if he was already with John. Not wanting to think about it, they pushed harder to get there before the cops, praying that once they did they would be able to extract Sammy without anyone getting hurt; the exception being John.

Terrance was following closely with his Tahoe and keeping in touch with the Police Chief via speaker phone. Since the situation was unknown the Chief agreed to give him and his boys a few minutes head start with the agreement that the local SWAT team was already in route and could very well arrive at the same time. He was certain they would be able to get Sam out of his fathers grasp without the boy getting hurt in the crossfire, but he wasn't guaranteeing John Winchester's safety at all; quite the opposite in fact.

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Trying to stay composed, Dr. Long looked in horror at the man in front of her. She had thought he was a good caring man, but now she saw that he was nothing that he had appeared to be. Now she faced with the consequences of her actions and she didn't like it at all. Glancing at her patient, she saw that he was still heavily sedated and would be totally defenseless to his father, making her even more sick of herself than she had been. Sighing, she pulled herself together as if nothing happened and walked closely to the man before her. "Thank God you're here John, I was certain he was going to attack us or something."

John looked at the woman who brought him 'Sam' and smiled, "You should know by now that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. You're too important to my family."

Hearing those words sent chills running up and down her spine making her wonder just who she had really been dealing with. Looking over at the orderlies, she saw they were just as surprised as she was; they both knew John and Sam and had thought they were doing the right thing in reuniting them, now they were starting to see the game they had unknowingly been playing.

Pointing the gun at the two men, John ordered, "Bring him inside, we'll be leaving in a few minutes."

Seeing as how they didn't have too much choice in the matter, they did as they were told, both hoping to find a way to get Sam out of there soon. That was the last thought either man had as they lowered their burden to a sofa inside, and then heard two gunshots echo throughout the metal building.

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When everyone seemed to converge at the same place at the same time, it occurred to Dean that it would have been funny if it wasn't so damn serious. It hadn't taken long for everyone to see that the only ones left at the hanger were two dead orderlies, and one nearly dead Caleb. Looking back towards the Colonel who was talking to the officer in charge of the SWAT team, he wanted to demand answers but knew that at the moment there weren't any answers to be had. Everyone watched the ambulance pull out with Caleb unconscious and fighting for his life in the back, and wondered if he really had a chance.

The Colonel walked over and gave what little news he had. "Apparently a neighbor saw a small private plane take off about twenty minutes ago, Katie is already attempting to track it. Dean, we'll get Sam back but we need to know if there is any place that your dad would feel safe. It might be a long shot, but…"

"No sir, he wouldn't go someplace safe, he'd go someplace that he'd feel closest to our mom… he's going back to Lawrence." Dean said with conviction. Everything seemed to be falling into place and he wondered why he didn't see it before. Looking at his friends, his brothers, he knew they were with him, now he just had to find a way for all of them to get there before John really did murder his little brother.

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There were days that John was glad that he had racked up so many favors over the years, it definitely had its perks. There would have been no way he would have rubbed elbows with people who had planes like this while working as a mechanic. Now though he was heading home to piece his family back together again. Looking over at the boy who was strapped onto the couch, he wondered what his Sammy would be doing right now if this evil bastard hadn't ruined his life. Feeling the anger build up again, he chose to wait until they got home; then he could show this demon what a Winchester was really made of.

Knowing that her patient was in real danger, Dr. Long chose to keep herself in between him and John. It was easy enough to do, except for the fact that the man kept insisting that Samuel needed another dose so he'd be more compliant. She hesitated keeping the boy in the fogged state for too much longer, after all the longer he was in it, the longer it would take for him to get out of it; making it much easier for John to do whatever damage he was planning. However she did know that Samuel needed to comply with whatever John wanted otherwise they weren't going to get out of this mess alive.

Sam wasn't sure what had happened, in fact he had no idea where he was only that it didn't feel familiar. He felt tired which was odd since he was just waking up, but then he thought he remembered something about him being sick. Moving his head he tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids seemed so heavy and he wasn't sure what he would see anyway. It wasn't until he heard someone talking to him that he wanted to throw up, it wasn't until he recognized who it was that he wanted to stab himself in the heart and escape whatever nightmare his mind had conjured up for him this time. Opening his eyes he saw the one person he feared the most, and he was in way too cheerful of a mood.

"Sammy! Good to see you awake son, we're heading home and then this mess can be put behind us, ok?"

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Bobby had just hung up from talking to Dean, apparently that fool Caleb thought he could talk some sense into John by himself and got shot in the process. Now he had to track Jim down and get to the hospital to check on their friend and try to regroup because it was becoming more apparent that John was completely out of his mind.

By the time he found Jim and they got to the hospital, Caleb had already been admitted and rushed into emergency surgery. Not knowing where Dean and his friends were at the moment, they had no other choice but to call and offer the assistance of other hunters to attempt to get Sam out of harms way. Unfortunately Jim knew exactly how Dean was going to take the offer, and he wasn't disappointed.

_"You want to do what? You have got to be out of your damn minds! The last thing my little brother needs is more crazy hunters around. We're heading to Lawrence now and we'll bring him home. If you want to help so damn bad, you can deal with the body!"_

That was the extent of the conversation, and neither Bobby nor Jim could blame him for his outburst. After all, he was right; the hunters that were closest would probably be the ones who would be more sympathetic to John right now anyway. Looking at each other they both knew they had a decision to make; who would stay, and who would go.

Forty five minutes later had Bobby at the airport ready to get on a plane to Kansas City, with a car rental reservation already made in his name. Jim promised to let him know as soon as he heard anything about Caleb, while Bobby promised to call as soon as it was over; Bobby was just glad a person could get salt, lighter fluid and matches anywhere these days.

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John looked at Sam and wondered why he wasn't cooperating, usually by now with the heavy duty treatment Sam would at least start to listen. Now though it was as if the opposite was taking place and he didn't like the idea at all, they had only a couple more hours before they landed and he needed the Sam wannabe to be more pliable.

"It's going to be like our first session again John, he has been away for a very long time." Dr. Long said, trying to keep him calm. 'The last thing we need is for him to start shooting.' She thought, thinking about how far they'd have to crash.

Shaking his head John didn't want to hear about how long it would take, he just wanted to know that by the time they landed then his so-called son would do exactly what he wanted. Was that so much to ask? He didn't think so. Walking over to the bar, he poured himself some whiskey and sat down to think about his next move. Finally deciding it was time to find out what this imposter really knew, he started talking. "You know, it took my awhile to figure out where you put the artifact Sammy. In fact, if it hadn't been for luck, I still would be looking for it."

Confused, Sam looked between the doctor and his dad. "Artifact?" he asked, certain he had no idea what his dad was talking about.

"Yes, the artifact. Ancient Aztec or Myan or... something that doesn't exist anymore." John said while rubbing his forehead seemingly confused, then just as quickly resumed his attack. "You had wondered why it was so important. I have to hand it to you Sammy, you can be so smart in some areas, but so stupid in others. Did you really think that I wouldn't find out eventually?" he ground out between clenched teeth. Seeing Sam's confusion he explained, "You already knew why we needed it, and you agreed to willingly sacrifice yourself in order to get your mother back. Did you really think I wouldn't figure out that you were planning to back out of our agreement?" he bellowed. When Sam shook his head, John struck out, clipping the younger Winchester on his cheek. "You made a promise Sammyboy, and I always taught you and your brother to keep your promises." He said as he raised his fist once again, this time knocking Sam out onto the couch. Looking back at the doctor, John smiled. "Don't worry doctor; I have plans for you too."


	52. Chapter 52

AN: Alright... I hope you all like this chapter, especially since it's starting to wind down. Let me know what you think about it.

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The Colonel received confirmation that the Lawrence police department had been notified and had issued an APB on the Winchester's as well as notified the area hospitals to be on the lookout for Sam. He had convinced Jenna to stay with Celia while he went with the Musketeers to get the boy back, he knew it took a lot for his daughter to agree; but if he was right then Sam wouldn't want her to see him right now.

Dean got a phone call before take off from Jim letting him know that Caleb was still in surgery but was holding his own and that Bobby had already got on a plane and would most likely meet up with them. The gesture was nice, but he really didn't care at this point. He had his brothers, he had the Colonel, and he even had the Lawrence P.D. at his disposal if he needed it. He just wanted to concentrate on getting his little brother back in one piece, and then he would make sure that John paid for what he'd done.

Taylor had pulled up a map of Lawrence, Ks. and was going over locations that John would hide until he felt it was safe to do the ritual. They had no illusions that he didn't have the artifact since he had gone to such extremes to take Sammy from under their noses. After locating their previous address as well as the location of the garage John had at one time owned, Taylor was able to plot a tentative course from the municipal airport to those addresses, then added a few warehouses, barns, and storage facilities to be safe. All in all, he had narrowed the search down to less than twenty places just because of non-vacancies, construction, or even something as mundane as privacy issues. The only thing that stood out in Dean's mind though was the house; his dad had never gone back to it because that was where he felt his mom the most. It was the first place they would look.

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Sam ached all over and it hurt to breathe, unfortunately he knew that his dad wasn't going to let him stop until his mom was back. Although he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't wait to see her, although not for the reason his dad thought. He'd never known her, and even though Dean had told him about her a few times, he had always wished that he'd get to see her one day. Today was the day, and he was actually looking forward to it.

Watching his 'son', John knew that the creature was plotting something, but it wouldn't matter; he had outsmarted it more than once and would continue to do so until his Mary was back and it was dead. Smiling, he arranged the herbs and lit the candles as the ritual dictated, then reached into his bag and pulled out a thin stone disk that would have looked like a plate if it hadn't had the hole in the middle of it. The symbols etched into it were of ancient Aztec origin, but he had made a few contacts in the antiquities circles and had been able to get a translation of it before 'Sam' had stolen it from him.

Holding the artifact in his hands, John started to feel as if he had truly been justified in all the things he had done to get to this moment. Looking between Sam and the doctor, he knew that it wouldn't be humane to drag it out any longer, and in his opinion that wouldn't be right. After all, he was as humane as the next person.

Dr. Long knew that look; she'd seen it on sociopaths enough times. Thinking over what she knew, she now understood that she had been a fool. There hadn't been anything wrong with the boy until he was in her care, and now she worried that maybe her treatments had actually done irreparable harm. Watching the man who she knew as John Winslow, she understood that she wasn't going to get out of this alive, she also knew that Samuel wasn't expecting to either. Looking around she wondered if there was a way out of the basement, but it looked as if the windows had been sealed. Even if they hadn't, she doubted that she'd be able to untie the boy and get him upstairs before his father killed them both very slow and deliberate. Taking a deep breath, she forced her mind to clear.

"So, what's our next move?" she asked, hoping to sound as confident as she wasn't.

John looked at the doctor and smiled, "Oh don't worry sweetheart, you'll know what needs to be done soon. I almost have everything ready."

Sam felt ill just thinking about what was going to happen to the doctor, and he knew that she was clueless. The ritual combined with the artifact demanded a blood sacrifice, and although he was sure his dad had planned him to have a double role, it was clear that the plan had changed. He wished he had a knife, but then again since he was actually tied to a chair it would be obvious what he was trying to do. His only hope of getting the doctor out of there was if Dean showed up, but what were the chances of that.

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The police cruisers blocking the neighborhood was a definite sign that something was going on, but when the neighbors had been notified to stay in their homes and stay quiet, they knew it had to be bad. The direct neighbors of the former Winchester residence were quietly evacuated from their homes and a group of men set up base across the street.

Lt. Mullins had been on the force for over twenty years and he had dealt with all sorts of hostage situations, but he couldn't remember a time when the marines were called in for one. Now he was facing a group of jarheads who looked determined to make his bad day worse.

"I understand you want information, but I have to wait until…"

"Look, our little brother is in there after being kidnapped by our insane father who wants to use him as a sacrifice to bring our dead mother back. Now you can either help, or get out of the way!" Dean said watching the man stare back at him in disbelief.

"Ok… uh, the neighbors said they saw a vehicle pull up and a man and a woman helped a teenager out and into the house. They figured it was the new homeowners and didn't think it suspicious until we started pulling them out of their homes."

Nodding, the Colonel started to pull a plan together and notified each man what they needed to do. With each role established, they all took off to get into positions and wait for the five minute mark.

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"Sammy, it's time. Now, I'm going to give this to you, and you can start reciting the ritual while Dr. Long and I have a discussion." John said, putting the stone plate in Sam's hands and waited for him to start reading the paper that had been attached. Turning, he smiled at the doctor. "Dr. Long, I appreciate everything you've done to help my son. He'll definitely be in a better place once this is done."

"You don't need to thank me John, in fact how about we sit down and talk about how I can help you. After all, that's what my main goal has been." She said with a smile, hoping that she could distract the man so she could figure a way out of there.

Laughing, John looked at her fondly. "Don't worry, you're about to help more than you know." He said as he plunged the hidden dagger into her side. "Keep going Sammy, don't stop."

Sam didn't know what to do, he had already finished the words that were on the page, and now his dad was positioning his doctor so she bled directly on the plate he was holding. He was helpless to help or do anything since his wrists were bound to the arms of the chair so tightly it hurt to wiggle his fingers. Horrified, he couldn't pull his gaze away from the doctor as the light started to fade from her eyes.

It wasn't until Dr. Long's body started to grow cold that a wind started to whip through the basement making Sam clutch the chair in fear and John howl in delight. When the wind died down, a shapeless shining entity appeared and seemed to look around.

"Why have I been summoned?" the entity asked in a whispered gravelly voice that made the hairs on the back of Sam's neck stand on end.

"To right a wrong, to undo an unfair deal." John said with confidence.

The entity seemed to hum a moment in thought, giving the impression of taking the request into consideration. Finally it spoke again. "This deal, what was to be gained?"

John shook his head, "I don't know. My wife was murdered in exchange for my son."

"Ah, I see… and you're son, he did not agree to this exchange?" it asked.

Sam knew instinctively that it was his turn to answer. "No, I was a baby and had no say so in the agreement."

"And you… did you agree to the exchange?" it asked John, looking towards him with what seemed to be curiosity.

"No! Never! I knew nothing about what was happening, therefore whatever deal was made wasn't a valid one and I call for it to be undone."

The entity sighed in impatience. "There are others who matter as much." It said while looking around then settled upon Sam once more. "Are you willing to go back to the way it should have been, even if it means you're death?" it asked watching in quiet amusement.

"I have agreed to this, yes." Sam choked out, knowing that his brother would be so disappointed in him.

"I understand, however all parties must be in agreement." It said with what sounded as amusement in its voice. "Are all parties in agreement?" it asked and looked around.

While John was already in the process of saying yes, two voices rang out simultaneously to say "NO!"

Seeing Mary before him was just how John envisioned until she looked at him with such mix of sorrow and anger that he involuntarily stepped back. "Mary, what…"

"No John, I will not allow you to sacrifice our son for me. That is not his job, that was mine." She said, eyes blazing in cold fury. She glanced at Dean who had made it down the stairs as she had appeared. "Dean, you are doing such a wonderful job with Sammy, take care of him always." She said with a smile. "Sammy, you deserve to live a full life. Please do that for me."

"Mary, please. Everything will be like it was, we'll be together and…"

"You would murder our son just for the few years we might have left?" she asked in horror.

John shook his head and cried, "No… no, he's not Sammy. He hasn't been since…"

"Since you sold him to that pedophile John! How could you? I trusted you to take care of our boys, and instead you turned on them. Now… now our baby is dying and it's because of your greed." She yelled causing a gust of wind to rain down upon them.

Dean watched at his mother got angrier by the second. He had been raised to get rid of vengeful spirits, but he had the impression that she wasn't really one, she was just answering a call and it wasn't going to way John had planned. Edging closer to Sammy, he started to untie the ropes that were cutting off the circulation to his little brothers hands when he heard the entity speak again.

"There are two in favor and two against having the agreement rescinded. One of you must reconsider." It said calmly watching the events unfold.

"Well I'm not going to reconsider. I know that Sammy belongs with me." Dean said, while still trying to undo the ropes.

John wasn't going to be defeated, he knew what would happen if the entity was sent back without fulfilling the agreement. Sam may have summoned it, but he was the one who was arguing the terms which meant he'd be the one punished; apparently even demigods didn't like to waste their time. "Dean, he's not Sammy! He's a demon, don't you listen?" he demanded, hoping to get through to his eldest; they already lost Sammy, he didn't want to lose Dean too.

"Sammy isn't the demon here dad, it's you. You're the one who beat the hell out of him, tortured him, even had him committed so he'd fall in line, then you basically sold him. Did you really think he'd be the same happy kid we knew after all that?" Dean asked calmly. He knew he was right, and he had Mom on his side, that left only one other person. "Sammy, Mom's right, you deserve to live. Nothing that's happened is your fault, ok… but you have to want to live."

Sam looked between his brother and his mother and smiled. She was as beautiful as her picture and he got his wish, he'd met her. "I'm sorry about what happened Mom." He said, with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry you died."

Mary shook her head and held his face in her hands. "You were my baby, and I died to save you. That's what mommy's do."

Feeling that Dean got him loose from the ropes, Sam looked around. First at his dad, then his mom and Dean, finally to the entity that was waiting for a decision. "I choose… to live." He said, hoping he wasn't making a huge mistake.

The entity grew and the house shook until pieces of the basement fell onto the floor. Dean was determined to get Sammy out, but as they made it to the stairs, they both heard their father scream out for their mom and they paused to look back. John was being torn apart by the winds as the building started to crash down around them, and finally they both were tossed into oblivion.

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Dean woke to the sound of beeping and he knew that it had to be a heart monitor, but he had no idea for who. Opening his eyes he saw that he was in a hospital bed with an IV in one wrist and a cast on his right leg. Looking around he saw Taylor and Stephen close by and cleared his throat.

"Hey Dean, it's good to see you man." Taylor said as he and Stephen got closer to the bed.

"Yeah, right… so did anyone get the number of that truck?" he asked, hoping that someone would smile, when they didn't he looked around and saw the curtain had been pulled. "So, where's Sammy?" he asked, hoping that it wasn't where he thought.

The Colonel walked around the curtain and smiled, "About time you woke up Dean, now if you could just convince your stubborn brother here to do the same, then we could all go home."

Raising himself up onto one arm Dean saw his little brother with IV's in him as well as the heart monitor that periodically skipped a beat. Worried, he looked at the others who smiled weakly.

"They say it should right itself soon, something about it being bruised when the house collapsed on you two." Stephen said, hoping that he wouldn't have to go into details since they still had no idea how they survived it all.

Nodding, Dean collapsed against the bed for a second before declaring, "Alright, nap time's over, help me up."

With the others help, he was able to get to Sammy's bed and make himself comfortable. "Alright Sammy, it's time to get up, don't make me tickle you." He said, before he reached under the blankets and hit that one spot that always got Sammy giggling before. He was quickly awarded with a twitch, then a muffled groan which got louder each time Dean did it until finally they all were rewarded with Sammy's whine of "Deeeaaaan… stop!" making everyone in the room smile.


	53. Chapter 53

AN: Hey everyone, I'm glad you all still like the story, but I'm sad to say that there is only one more chapter to go after this. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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The doctors had made their rounds and filled the guys in on both Dean's and Sammy's conditions; Dean's case was straightforward with a slight concussion and broken leg, he was released quickly. Sammy's vital signs refused to stay stable for any length of time, and the doctors were keeping him on IV antibiotics to keep the risk of infection down. None of the Musketeers left his side even while he slept, leaving the Colonel to field questions from officers and fire investigators.

No one could explain how Dean and Sam had survived, as the house had completely shaken itself apart and fell into the basement. It had taken half an hour to find them pinned in between the basement steps and debris. Dean's leg had been broken by the same support beam that had laid against Sammy's chest. No one wanted to voice what it looked like, but no one could deny it either; most of the debris had seemed to settle around them, not on them, leaving them more in a cocoon instead of buried alive. The eldest Winchester hadn't been so lucky; what remained of him that is.

As the next couple of days passed, and Sam's test results started to bolster, another piece of the puzzle fell into place, and the Musketeers quickly agreed that Sammy would never know about it. The artifact had originally been hidden away at a neighbor of John and Samuel Cooper in Winslow, Arizona. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson apparently had made it a point to try and get to know their new neighbors, but to no avail. One day however after the Cooper's had moved on, the Thompson's got a package from young Samuel with a piece of antiquity inside and a note. The note explained that they were holding something very old and special and that Sam was sure they would take very good care of it. Unfortunately, when Mrs. Thompson died, her husband wanted to make sure that the piece was returned to him as his dear wife wanted. It had taken him over five months, but finally a response to one of his queries was answered, and a week later John Cooper returned to Winslow. Mr. Thompson however was found dead in his home after he apparently walked into a home invasion; those who knew the whole story knew the truth.

Now though, they watched over their Sammy and prayed he got better soon. After a brief discussion with the doctor, the man was getting ready to set up a psych evaluation for his young patient but was quickly dissuaded when the boy's guardians stepped in with the distinct warning of, 'We think you might want to reconsider that, doc.' Leaving him no doubt what the repercussions would be if he carried out his plans.

The Musketeers waited in hopes that the next time their little brother woke he would be more aware of his surrounds, instead he seemed to stay stuck in a mixture of then and now with no way to tell which was real or not. After talking to Celia, she made sure to call the doctor in charge of Sam's care and explain the full extent of his injuries to which the man quickly changed the medicines that were being pumped into him and apologized profusely for the confusion. Apparently the doctor hadn't had time to look at the medical records that had been faxed and was unaware of some of the drug interactions in the past.

As Bobby sat in the corner of Sam's room and the Musketeers sat around the bed, the Colonel stood watch by the door, not allowing anyone in who could very well disrupt the tentative calm that they had all fallen into.

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"Dean?" Sam whispered, his head hurt and his throat was dry, but he just wanted to make sure his brother was ok.

"Hey Sammy, we're here. How about opening those eyes of yours so we know it's you talking, ok?" Dean asked as he and the others waited for their little brother to fully wake up. They were starting day four of their vigil and they all were getting worried that the doctors had been wrong and that something else was going on with their little bro.

Blinking, Sam wasn't sure what happened, and it took a moment to see that not only was he in a hospital bed, but his brothers were with him too. Looking around he saw that none of them looked like they had slept in awhile and he worried that they were sick. "Are you guys ok?" he asked, not understanding exactly where they were.

Laughing, everyone shook their heads. Leave it to their little brother to ask about everyone else and not think to ask about himself. Stephen stopped laughing first and answered, "Yeah Sammy, we're fine. You on the other hand have been out of it for awhile. How are you feeling?"

Puzzled, Sam looked around before answering honestly. "I don't know. My head hurts and I still feel kinda tired, but I guess I'm ok." he reached out and took Dean's hand. "You're you, right?" he asked, knowing he sounded idiotic, but he'd been having the weirdest dreams and he had to make sure.

"Yeah Sammy, I'm me and you're you and as soon as you're up for it, we're going home." Dean said with tears in his eyes. They all had heard Sammy's ramblings and nightmares the last couple of days, and he was just thankful that he had his kid brother back in spite of all of it.

They watched as he mulled that information over for a moment and then ask the question that they all were dreading. "Where's Dad?"

Dean looked around then back at Sam. "He's dead Sammy, there's no way he can hurt you anymore. He didn't make it out of the house and Bobby took care of the rest." He said it softly, but looked intently at Sam to make sure he understood that there was no way that John Winchester was coming back.

Sam smiled and nodded, then said quietly. "Mom's really pretty, I'm glad I finally got to meet her."

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It took over an hour to convince his brother's that he'd be ok for the length of time it would take them to go eat somewhere besides the hospital kiosks. It took another half an hour for them to finally go, and twelve phone calls assuring them that he was fine before they finally left him alone with his own thoughts.

Now that he could actually put his thoughts together, he saw how lucky he was. His brothers loved him so much that they all were willing to rush into a collapsing building to save his ass, and then stick by his side even when he was having the worst nightmares he could ever remember having. What stuck out the most though was what his Mom said that she wanted; him to have a full life. That sounded pretty easy, but he had no idea what it meant. He was so used to surviving from one moment to the next that he had never really put together what he _could_ have. Sure, he had his brothers, and he had a business that was bringing in money, he even had a reputation of being someone others could count on, but beyond that he had no idea. His family wanted him to finish school and even think about college, but then what. What would he do afterwards… sit behind some desk somewhere wishing time would speed up all the while wishing the clock that was ticking away at his life would slow down? It was confusing, and he knew that all he had to do was ask and he'd have plenty of people to help him sort it out. That's what threw him the most; he was used to having no one, and now he had everyone, it was sort of disconcerting.

"Excuse me… are you Sam Winchester?" a man at the door asked while looking at a file folder before walking into the room.

Not sure what was going on, Sam gave a tentative, "Yyes"

Smiling, the man stuck out his hand, "I'm Marc Jones, and I'm a patient advocate here at the hospital."

Shocked, Sam wasn't sure what to say so instead just watched the man who looked more like a mix between a yuppie and a wannabe biker. The guy couldn't have been older than thirty and wore a pair of faded blue jeans with tears in his knees, a polo shirt that was tucked in, a leather jacket that looked like it had actually seen some action, and a necklace of beads that were made out of shells that Sam recognized from some of the people he'd seen in California; mostly from the surfing crowd. What really confused Sam were the cowboy boots and pony tail. Definitely not you're average person.

Smiling, Marc nodded and pulled a chair close to the bed. "Don't worry; I get that reaction a lot. How about I tell you what I do and why I'm here, and then we can get down to business, ok?"

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The Colonel was happy that he had been able to get all of the guys fed at the same time and knew it had more to do with Sam's power of persuasion than anything. What really amazed him though was that they all had actually sat down and ate a full meal like they should instead of shoveling it down on the way back out the door, again he attributed it to Sam and his ability to turn a situation back around on his brothers.

"_Nope, so not happening Sammy. There's no way we're going to leave you alone." Dean said with determination._

"_Dean, you all say that there's nothing to worry about. So go, get something to eat. It's not like I'm dying or anything, right?" Sam said, looking around the room._

"_Sammy, of course there's nothing to worry about, you trust us, right? Then don't worry about it, and no… of course you're not dying." Taylor said trying hard to ignore the look his little brother was giving them._

_Nodding, Sam agreed, "Sure, I trust you guys, and I get why you don't trust me…"_

"_Whoa wait a minute Sammy; no one said that we don't trust you." Dean said, sounding fairly panicked, if he was one to allow himself to sound that way._

"_Of course you don't, I mean who would, I'm a freak… I get it." Sam said then grabbed the remote, "So, what do you think is on?"_

Laughing to himself, Terrance had to hand it to the kid; it was brilliant playing the brothers protective tendencies against them. After all, they all had been trying to get him out of his shell for so long, and played right into it. He had no delusions though that the Musketeers wouldn't figure it out soon, but until then he'd sit back and watch the show, because right now them trying to act nonchalant was more entertaining than any lounge show he'd ever seen.

None of them had wanted to leave their little brother alone, he was still recovering for Christ's sake, but when he pulled the trust card none of them could refuse. Suddenly four pairs of eyes stared at each other before all four men simultaneously jumped up from the table with a curse making the Colonel laugh.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out." He said as he put the money on the table. "Come on, I think Sam's had enough 'alone time', don't you?"

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Hearing two voices coming from their little brother's room didn't help their nerves any, but when they heard Sammy laugh they stopped and looked at each other before walking in and seeing a strange man sitting next to the bed.

"Hey guys, this is Marc Jones, and he's a patient advocate. He wanted to check up on a few things before they let me out of here." Sam said with a smile.

The guys looked at each other before Dean spoke up. "Is there a problem?" he asked, trying to think of any reason why Sammy would have been given an advocate if everything was alright.

Marc smiled while he stood; it wasn't the first time that a family member hit the panic button when hearing his title. "No, everything's good. I just wanted to make sure that Sam here understood his rights as a patient. Normally I would talk to his parents since he's a minor, but he was good enough to let me give him the spiel."

Not sure if they were being given a load of crap or not, they quickly positioned themselves around Sammy to make certain that nothing had happened while they were gone.

"Marc was making sure that I knew that I couldn't be refused treatment just because of my HIV status, that it was considered discrimination." When he saw their puzzled looks he admitted quietly, "It still happens sometimes."

Dean felt like kicking himself, just because they had accepted Sammy's condition didn't mean that everyone else in the world did. "Sorry Sammy, we never thought of it like that."

"Don't feel bad, most people don't give their rights as a patient a second thought. I've actually seen people get treated poorly and let it slide because they didn't know they could do something about it." Marc told them. "I just wanted to make sure that he knew what his rights were, and where he could go for information in the need arises."

Sam smiled at his brothers, "Not bad for an attorney, huh?"

Looking at his watch Marc realized he was running late. "Ok Sam, I have to run, but remember, if you run into something that you're not sure of… ask, don't assume that others have your best interest at heart, ok? Sometimes the patients have to be there own advocate."

The Musketeers watched as the man walked out the door before turning back to their little brother. Seeing him smile like that made them wonder what else they had talked about. Before they had a chance to ask, Sammy's doctor walked in with a smile on his face.

"Sam, your test results are back, and I'm happy to say that you're free to go home young man… with the condition that you stay in contact with your physician and take your medicine like you're supposed to. Otherwise, the infection has cleared, and the fatigue that your feeling should abate in the next couple of days." As he looked at the others in the room he nodded, "I have a feeling that all of you know how to take care of him. I'll get the release papers drawn up and we'll have you out of here soon."

Looking at each other in surprise they wondered about the doctor's attitude, he seemed a lot more helpful now that a couple of days ago. It wasn't until they heard their little brother that it started to fall into place.

"Marc found out about the doctor not checking for medicine interactions sooner, and reminded him that it was his job to help people not kill them." He smirked a moment before continuing. "I get the impression that they don't like each other."

Dean could care less at that moment about the doctor and 'Marc', he was just happy that Sammy could go home. Checking the time, he was wondering about flight arrangements; he didn't think that Sammy was up for a ride in a cargo plane just yet.

"Alright you yahoos, if the doctor will hurry up we can get to the airport and make our flight to San Diego. I assume that everyone is ready to get back home?" the Colonel asked, knowing full well that Sam was about to spring out of the bed any second.

"Yes sir!" was the unanimous reply, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind where they all wanted to be.

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AN: Oh! I will entertain the idea of a sequel if there are people who would want it. 


	54. Chapter 54

AN: Ok, here's the last chapter, I hope I did it justice. Enjoy! Oh wait!!! Uh... possible hanky alert!?!

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The flight home felt longer than it actually was, but none of the Musketeers really minded; they had their little brother back, and for the most part he was in one piece. Not wanting to risk his health any further, they immediately rushed him home and into bed not listening to his whines about taking up Dean's room. The Colonel understood completely and felt the distinct need to see his daughter and make certain that she too was alright considering everything that had been happening. 

Sam had slept fitfully on the plane, not that anyone could blame him, and had fought only a few minutes to stay awake once home. Although he didn't see them, he knew that his brothers were waiting for him to sleep so they could take their positions close by. As soon as they heard Sam's breathing deepen, they all made sure that they were close, making certain that at least one of them were at his side at all times.

The next morning dawned quietly and as the Musketeers started to worry about their youngest not waking per his normal time, a knock at the door brought them all around to remember that there were other matters that still needed attention. Sighing, Stephen opened the door and stood there in shock for a moment before looking back at Dean.

Dean wasn't sure what to think about their visitors, but decided that having them stand at doorway wasn't going to help anyone. Motioning for them to go to the kitchen, he waited a moment before he checked to see that Sammy was still sleeping. Satisfied, he joined the others and waited.

Jim knew that he wasn't really welcome, and he couldn't blame them at all. After all the failures that he himself was responsible for, he too was feeling pretty disgusted with himself. Looking at Bobby he knew he wasn't going to get any sympathy, but was hoping that maybe the other hunter would be able to help him get the conversation going. When the room remained silent, he knew that he would have to get to the point quickly. However, before he managed to form the words, Caleb spoke up.

"How's he doing?" Caleb asked, grunting a little as the pain in his chest still erupted when he talked. He was glad that John hadn't used a bigger gun on him otherwise he wouldn't have made it.

"Sleeping at the moment, they finally got the infection that was running through him under control, now it's just a matter of time for him to build his strength up again." Taylor said, not wanting Dean to get stressed out over how to answer the people who had continually made their little brother worse.

Nodding, Caleb understood, it was going to take him awhile to get back to where he was too and he hadn't been through the same things Sam had. "Look, you have every right to stay pissed. In fact, I encourage it; it'll continue to remind us what jackasses we were. We just wanted to make sure that he was getting better."

"Better than what?" came a sleepy voice from the doorway. Sam had heard the voices and knew they had company, but didn't realize who until he had walked in. Now he wondered who they were talking about and why.

Feeling as if they had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar, the hunters looked at each other before looking at Sam. "Sam, I'm glad to see you're up and around." Jim said, genuinely relieved.

Reaching into the fridge for a small carton of milk the guys bought especially for him, Sam smiled and turned around. "Yeah, I can imagine." Looking at his brothers he saw their concern and his smile widened before asking, "Do I have new medicine I can take, or do I need to go see Celia today?"

Stephen rushed out of the room and came back with a small sack. Seeing his brothers' smirks he looked at each and simply stated, "Hey, I was away for too long, she insisted on seeing me. No offense kid, but…"

Holding up his hand Sam twisted his face, "Ugh, Stephen, please… too much info! I'm just glad she thought about giving them to you."

At first everyone stood there in silence, and then understood that he was teasing and they started laughing. It was nice to see their little brother in a good mood, which brought a whole other question to mind.

"Jim, I'm not mad at you, but too be honest, I really don't want to see you right now." Sam said quietly while pulling his medicines together. "I mean really, you're just a reminder of the way things were, and I'll never forget it as it is, but I'm really going to try to move on from it."

The Musketeers watched and listened, knowing that something had changed and they were about to get a little glimpse of it. Looking at each other then back at Sam they waited, but was surprised when he looked back at them and asked something that they hadn't expected.

"Can someone drop me off at the Colonel's; I'd really like to see Jenna."

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Colonel Erickson could still be a formidable person when the need arose, however when his little girl is crying her eyes out he can't help but feel helpless at what to do. He knew that it had to do with Sam, however he had no idea what would account for the nonstop waterworks that had occurred after he returned home and let her know that he was back home with his brothers and was on the road to recovery. Sometimes he really wished Jillian was still with him so he could have help figuring his little girl out.

Having already called the school to let them know what had happened and that neither one would be there until ready, Terrance was certain that the day would be a nice quiet one; for a little while at least. However, when the doorbell rang while they ate a late breakfast out on the patio, he wasn't really surprised until he saw who was standing at his door.

"Sam!" he said, happy to see the boy on his feet, even if he was surrounded protectively by his watchdogs.

"Hello, sir. I was wondering if Jenna was home, and if so… do you think she'd want to see me?"

Laughing, Terrance pulled the boy inside and shoved him towards the patio door before turning towards the other men walking in the room. "So, should I ask what this is about?" he asked, wondering about the puzzled looks on their faces.

"Honestly sir, we have no idea. He asked to be dropped off here because he wanted to see Jenna, didn't tell us anything else." Dean said quietly, hoping that whatever his brother had planned wasn't going to wear him out too much.

They all watched as Sam walked to the patio door and paused before walking outside to Jenna.

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He knew this was a stupid idea, and he had no idea why he thought he could pull it off, he was actually shocked that the Colonel hadn't thrown him out just for _suggesting_ he could talk to Jenna. Making his way across the foyer and living room was hard, but standing there in the doorway and actually seeing her was the worst thing for him at the moment. When she looked up and saw him, he wasn't certain about what he wanted to say anymore, everything had flown out of his head as if it had never been there in the first place.

"Hey." He whispered, not sure exactly he would do if she started yelling at him.

Jenna looked at her Sam and saw someone that she had missed for so long, the person that she had known was there all along. She watched as he stood there almost frightened to say something, and wasn't that the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard of; _him_ scared of _her_. Then he spoke, it was only one word, but she heard so much more.

"Hey back." She whispered, hoping that maybe she knew what was coming, but worried that it was just another schoolgirl wish about to be broken.

Sam knew they were being watched, but at this point he welcomed it; if he messed this up he wasn't sure what he would do. "Uh, think we could talk a walk or something?"

Jenna smiled and nodded. She was still in her pajamas, and hadn't even brushed her hair yet, but there was no way she was going to say no to the one person that she'd been worried about all week.

They walked down the steps to the beach quietly, both lost in their own thoughts, each listening to the gulls as they flew past. They made it to the water's edge before Sam broke the silence.

"Jenna, there are things that happen to people no matter how hard they try to stop them, dark things that can screw them up inside so bad that they never think they'll be able to see the light of day again. I never want you to be touched by that darkness and I swear to you that I will make sure you never have to as long as I'm around. I've seen what happens when a person gives in to the darkness and I've seen what happens when a person finds their light and grabs hold. You are my light Jenna, and I walked away because I thought I'd take it away from you. I don't know what's going to happen, or how long I have left, or even if I've completely screwed whatever we had up, but I wanted you to know that I'm here and I'm not giving up. There's too much to live for, and you're part of that for me." He stopped talking, certain that either he made a complete fool out of himself or that she would have a restraining order put on him by the end of the day; what was he thinking? How could he ever think that…

Not knowing what to say, Jenna wrapped herself around Sam and buried her head in his chest, not wanting to say or do anything to ruin this moment. She felt him hesitantly kiss the top of her head before he wrapped his arms around her and she smiled knowing that this was her Sam and he was definitely worth the wait.

Sam felt Jenna's arms around him and he was certain he was imagining it. When he kissed the top of her head and noticed she didn't pull away, he wrapped his arms around her and looked out at the ocean. He felt like he had been on a very long trip, on a very long road, but now with the help of his brothers, Jenna, and the friends he was starting to make, he finally felt like he had made it home.

As the Colonel and the Musketeers stood on the patio and watched quietly as the two interacted on the beach, they all thought the same thing; 'Damn, I'm good!'

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AN: I hope you liked it... and yes, there will be a sequel but I don't know what it will be called. Hope to see you then! 


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